Breaking Chains
by Givethemtriumphnow
Summary: New Game Plus. The forgotten Goddess has not forgotten her people; she sends out her Esper, Carbuncle, to pull her Champions through time, to before the Fall of Insomnia, in the hope that the world and it's people can be saved- from the Tyrant Bahamut's rule.
1. Chapter 1

_My friend, the fates are cruel_

 _There are no dreams, no honor remains._

 _The arrow has left the bow of the goddess._

 _My soul corrupted by vengeance,_

 _Hath endured torment,_

 _To find the end of the journey in my own salvation._

 _And your eternal slumber._

 _Now what I want most…_

 _Is the Gift of the Goddess…_

* * *

 ** _Is this where the story ends?_**

 ** _Are we just beginning?_**

 ** _Live the lie and we'll pretend_**

 ** _We're fighting for something_**

 ** _If I lose the world I know_**

 ** _If the night, it comes for me_**

 ** _If tomorrow fades_**

 ** _And nothing matters_**

 ** _What's it all for?_**

 ** _What's it all for?_**

* * *

The Ring was a star on his hand, and it took everything in his power to not break down as his fingers turned to ash. Agony was travelling in waves up his arm, but he could feel that same magic from the Ring bolstering his body and forcing it to remain standing.

His fingers were starting to disintegrate, but they _just_ managed to retain their shape, only because the Ring willed it.

Bahamut had promised him; the pain would only last a few seconds, then it would all be over. No more pain, no more fear, no more sorrow..

No more _loneliness_.

The human mind was not made for ten years of isolation.

He could barely see from his right eye now, as the flames licked across and below the surface of his skin. His other eye was starting to blur too, though that might have just been the tears.

He wasn't sure if he said anything, in the instant that he summoned the Knights of the Round. Possibly something along the lines of "Kings of Lucis!" Or maybe he just screamed. Either way, the ring was the only reason he was standing as his body, as his _soul_ burned its own pyre.

No more pain, Bahamut has promised. His soul would be destroyed. He would never get reincarnation, another chance at life- but after ten years of isolation, knowing that he was the only one who could save what remained of the world, being forced to _watch_ as it was slowly consumed by darkness, Noctis was more than ready to accept that in exchange for others never needing to fear the night again.

Then the agony reached a new height.

He couldn't breathe as he suddenly felt them: the weapons of his ancestors, the ones who had run him through earlier, the ones that had _killed_ him. Now they were here to tear his soul, their vessel, asunder as the price of their summoning.

Slowly, like they didn't wish to part, the swords sliced through phantom bone, muscle, sinew, _skin_ as they emerged, point-first, from his back. Then in one, smooth tear, they ripped themselves from his flesh and arranged themselves into the Armiger.

The Ring took control then; like a puppet master, it pulled the strings on his broken body and bade him move through these last motions. One arm, the one upon which the Ring rested, (little more than a molten silver impression of a human arm at this point) thrust forward, and Noctis was too consumed by the pain to see when each of the former rulers of Lucis smote the Accursed's soul.

He staggered as the Ring released its grip on him, felt it drawing a last surge of power from him- the last of his life force- and then...

Noctis drew in a rasping breath, muffled against a mostly-solid, slippery surface that had appeared beneath and over him. He took a stifled breath, then another, and another, too weak and in pain to do anything _but_ put all of his effort into making his lungs work as silent, gasping sobs shook him, deafening in his ears as screams refused to leave his body.

He wasn't sure how long he lay there; it could have been a few seconds, or it could have been years. It felt like another eternity has passed before he realized:

 _The pain wasn't stopping._

The fire was still blazing across the right side of his body, up his arm from where the Ring had rested; his back was a destroyed wreck, and, a pain he had not been able to feel after seeing the Accursed in that blue miasma: his stomach, it felt like he had been run through _again_.

He was so cold, but now he could feel it: thick, hot blood slowly soaking into his clothing, and into the odd surface beneath him. The trembling of his body increased as panic began to take over from the calm resignation of before. He could handle pain, yeah, but he was expecting for it to last only a few seconds- Bahamut had _promised him_ it wouldn't hurt for long.

 _Not that it would hurt for eternity!_

A bitter taste entered his mouth, and Noctis realized with a distant kind of shock that he was about to vomit. His stomach heaved, and with a disgusting noise that would have made him cringe in any other situation, the contents of his stomach were expelled, splattering the ground in front of him. Dizzy, nauseous, and more than ready for his soul to be destroyed _so it would end,_ Noct lay limply in the puddle, shuddering and crying quietly, breathless, as he waited for Bahamut to take away the pain, to take away _everything_.

He must have passed out, or been too dazed to notice before, but suddenly like a switch had been thrown, he could hear noises, and voices. His brain was too dazed to make sense of the words, making his head pound sickeningly, but they sounded upset.

Maybe the gods had realized he hadn't dissolved like he was supposed to? Maybe they would end him, since the Ring hadn't? Noctis sincerely hoped so. He couldn't bear to exist in this torment for much longer. _How had Ardyn coped for thousands of years?_

He imagined being consumed by thousands of demons, feeling them coursing through his blood, his veins, tainting his soul and extending his life past his will. He imagined living like this, for eternity, knowing your purpose and promise was snatched away by judging hands. He had felt pity, for Ardyn at the end-how could he not, when he had spent only _a decade_ completely by himself, forced into isolation so deep he spent most of his time curled up in a ball as his body absorbed the miasma around him, trying to sleep, to block out the visions of the world being consumed by the scourge?

He'd watched as his friends aged and went their separate ways, watched countless men women and children as they were driven from their homes, dying horribly at the claws of daemons and being infected themselves. How could he _not_ pity Ardyn, who had spent _thousands_ of years infected with that same Plague?-and now he was glad, more than glad, that he had put Ardyn out of his misery. Maybe Ardyn would come back one last time, against all odds, to return the favor?

Suddenly, the weird, stifling weight was lifted off of him, and fresh air surged toward him, which he gulped down gratefully, wondering if it was the Stormcaller that had granted him this reprieve. Despite their binding Marks, outside of the final battle, Ramuh had been the _only_ one of the Six that had ever respond when Noctis called for help- maybe he would be the one to end it?

He was about to speak, about to beg for his soul to be smited in an act of mercy, as Ardyn's corrupted soul had been, but instead of bringing relief, the touch that descended upon his form was harsh and punishing as something grabbed ahold of his disintegrating shoulder and shook him roughly.

Every nerve ending in his body was once again set alight with agony, and any quiet control he'd maintained over his voice was lost as something inside of him snapped.

Fear, an instinct he had suppressed for so long, roared to primal life and- suddenly his broken body was moving mindlessly, arms scrabbling against whatever surface was beneath him, blinded eyes rolling in his head, unable to focus as everything in him _screamed_ for him to escape, to get away, to _run away_ from these powerful beings who chose only to inflict suffering to the charges in their ' _care'_.

He clawed his way across the uneven surface, legs useless _dead_ weights behind him, choking and gasping and _screaming_ until his throat felt like it was bloody and raw. Any coherent thought was gone from his mind, only the desperate need to escape the pain and his tormentors.

He didn't get very far, blind, crippled, frantic, and covered in blood- he quickly collided with a weird, slightly-giving barrier and slipped on the blood that was still pouring out of his stomach. Noctis whirled, trying to find another way forward with his searching hands, but his desperate clawing only revealed more of the barrier to either side as he desperately tried to see, but his eyes and face was burning so horribly from the Ring he wasn't even sure that his eyes existed any more.

He tried to turn around, but his arms were damaged enough without dragging his entire dead-weight body around, and against his will they collapsed, no longer able to hold his weight as the awkward positioning sent impossible waves of agony down his spine.

A new scream ripped itself out of his throat, tapering off into a dying keen, and hopelessness consumed him as he collapsed; he could feel burning presences nearby, felt them reaching out to him with their fiery claws, intent on punishing him for a crime he could not fathom, and he screamed again, in terror and pain, wishing with his entire being that he would just _die_ already.

What had he done to anger the gods? What would make them betray him so? Or was this just his fate? His fate as the Chosen King, to give everything he had and _more_ , because he was not worth the lives sacrificed for him?

 _No, not sacrificed; they were not_ _ **willing**_ _, they were_ _ **murdered**_ _and it was all my fault._

Exhaustion was pulling him down down, despair weighing so heavily on his shoulders he felt crushed by it; the keens died down to whimpering cries, each exhale a shrieking testimony to his pain he could not control even if he wanted to.

The burning phantoms were drawing nearer, claws outstretched then retreating, dancing close enough for the panic to grip him anew, screams ripping themselves from his throat, then retreating again to lull him into a false sense of security. The cooler of the three presences hung back, letting the two that felt like suns approach.

He was not sure how long he was caught in this limbo; but just when it seemed like one of the suns had tired of their torturous game, venturing so close it felt like his skin was being seared anew from the heat, that Noctis felt it:

A bright cold light, somewhere above him flared unseen, and then a blissfully cool, _familiar_ presence filled his senses, chilling the silver flames on his skin and shielding him from the burning presences.

Blind eyes struggled to open, to look upon the face of his savior, but all Noct could see was a hazy mix of deepest black, brightest white and blinding _red._

 _So much red…_

At least he knew at least _one_ of his eyes still existed.

‹ _Noct!›_

The voice, an unheard cry of misery, filled his mind and Noctis jerked, _recognizing_ the silent voice as it was overlaid by the agonized yelping of a pained animal.

‹ _I'm so sorry, please, just hold on a little bit longer!›_

"C-car-?" Noctis gasped, and though the words were a strangled mess, the blinding white shape in front of him responded, looming in his vision and nuzzling a blissfully-numbing snout against his charred cheek.

‹ _I'm so sorry Noct, things got really chaotic with Luna, I never meant for you to be here by yourself for so long_ › The voice whispered, sounding exhausted and miserable.

Noct's breath caught it his throat at the sound of Luna's name. Luna? _Luna?_ The world began to spin. What did Carbuncle mean, he had been with Luna? Was she okay? No, she was dead, but her soul couldn't be here, she was supposed to be resting peacefully in the afterlife- no! She couldn't be here, in this _hell_ with Noct!

"N-n-o," Noctis moaned, fighting to make his words intelligible through the rawness in his throat and the exhaustion weighing down his body, "H-hel-p- sa-v h-er! For-get me….he- _lp_ _her, help Lu-na!_ "

Noctis reached out, wanted to push Carbuncle away, to make him leave Noct to his fate and save Luna's soul instead, but the little esper just whined pathetically as Noct's hand simply twitched forward, no strength left to even move an inch.

‹ _I knew you would say that_ , the voice said, _don't worry, I went to her first. She's safe and is going to meet up with you soon, you just have to let me help you before then, okay? I don't like seeing you hurt like this…›_

Luna was safe? He would get to see her again?

 _She was_ _ **safe?**_

Despite the fire still consuming him, despite the blood slowly seeping out of his wounds, despite the physical and mental _anguish_ he'd been put through ever since being trapped in the Crystal, Noctis smiled as his blind eyes slipped closed. " _Th-a-nnkk oo-u"_ he slurred, no longer able to fight off the exhaustion weighing him down, despite the presence of the three burning suns, still so close.

If Luna was finally safe, then nothing else mattered. He knew Carbuncle would try to save him from the daemons or the Scourge or the Six or whoever was trying to get him, but in that moment, Noctis didn't care if the little esper succeeded or failed.

 _Luna's_ _ **safe**_ _..._

Noctis succumbed to oblivion, smiling, even as a ruby light engulfed him.


	2. Chapter 2

When Noct woke next, he thought he was finally dead.

How else could he be in such bliss, pain free for what felt like the first time in eternity?

He was resting on something so beautifully soft and cool, he nuzzled his cheek into it, wanting to stay, and rest in such peace for the rest of forever. His body felt simultaneously weightless and weighed down, but it was the pleasant kind of heaviness, the one that occurs when you're more asleep than awake, safe in your own bed, secure in the knowledge that you don't have to get up any time soon, free to relax and cherish the sensation. A moment to yourself, where nothing else in the world matters but that you continue to lie there and dream.

Unfortunately, this moment, however long it _seems_ to last, cannot last forever.

The world around Noct slowly became more and more real, sounds going from a muted buzzing into a grating cacophony. The previously cool blanket draped over him suddenly became stifling, far too hot, and Noct felt weakness creeping as he struggled to shove the bunched up material away from his face. As he moved, he became more aware of his body as well as his environment, and all of the discomfort and pain rushed back, not half as bad as the agony of before, but still debilitating.

A choked scream escaped Noctis as his eyes flashed open, panic gripping his heart, which… which…. He couldn't hear pounding in his ears.

His good hand reached up and grasped at his throat, searching desperately for a pulse- but there was none.

His breath rasped loudly in his throat, and he screamed again, the paradox overwhelming his mind.

 _What's going on?_

The world around him was a hazy blur, and he could only make out vague colors and shapes as his eyes stung and teared up, the most prominent thing he could make out being blinding, pulsating lights that hovered just out of clear sight, suddenly giving off sparks as he cried out. The lights all seemed to converge on him as one, rushing in from their various positions and Noct cringed back into the bedding, too weak to move his body the way he wanted to.

"!" A garbled voice exclaimed, and those same burning lights were suddenly looming overhead. Noctis curled up as best he could, ducking his head into his arms, which were pretty much the only thing he could move, to hide away from the creatures- and just as suddenly Carbuncle was there again, and Noctis hadn't even noticed that the little Esper was curled up next to him on the...bed? Sleeping bag? _What was going on?_

‹ _Don't worry Noct! You're safe now! No one else can hurt you, it's just your friends!_ › Carbuncle assured him, his voice sounding as exhausted as Noctis felt, and Noctis froze.

What…? _My friends? But…. they were…_

‹ _It took a lot of help, and I used up a lot of my power to do it, but I was able to bring you and Luna back to the past, from the moment of your deaths. Luna came back to the Citadel, and Nyx Ulric is helping her, he got dragged in while protecting Luna, and I had to do some complicated magic to get the both of them out of it safely, which is what drained most of my power before I could get to you.›_

Noctis tried to wrap his mind around what the little Esper was telling him. He and Luna had time traveled? How was this possible? He knew his childhood guardian was powerful, but he didn't know he was _this_ powerful!

‹ _Because of that, and because of what that Cursed Ring did to your soul itself, I haven't been able to restore you fully the way I should have if everything had been normal. I'm afraid I'm not as good as my Mother or my sister at pulling souls through the different spirals, but I got both of you here, so that's a plus!_ ›Noctis could hear how much Carbuncle was struggling to project his old bubbly self into the conversation despite how tired the Esper sounded. He appreciated the gesture immensely, it helped to ground him, reminding him of the good times, back when the world made sense.

‹ _Anyways, we got off to a bit of a rough start, but for now, you, Luna, and Nyx are safe, and I can work on healing you a bit more while I recover as well!›_

Carbuncle nuzzled his head against Noctis' right hand, the one that had worn the Ring, and a new wave of cold washed over him, calming the burning of his skin and soothing his eyes. Noctis blinked, and, feeling more confident because of Carbuncle's words, forced himself to stay awake by sheer force of will as his exhausted body refused to budge from its fallen position. He wanted to stay awake and confirm to himself that he was in the past. He was too tired to move again right now, but he could feel Carbuncle channeling more of his cold energy to Noct, slowly giving him more strength as the minutes trickled by.

Oddly enough, even with his eyes shielded by his arms, he could still kind of...see. Well, he could see those weird lights at least, with a weird tunnel vision. He couldn't make out much, especially because those same lights kept moving around energetically- jumping and weaving and waving tendrils around, all the while making loud, upset noises that Noctis' fried brain couldn't make sense of.

...at first.

Slowly, another eternity passed, during which one of the lights became louder and angrier, while the other two started to become quieter. Noctis simply stayed silent, trusting in Carbuncle that the little Esper knew what he was talking about. The loud, red light had stormed out of sight, and it was then, with only the quiet lights remaining, that Noctis' overwhelmed brain slowly began to calm down and comprehend the words being spoken as his bad eye tracked the movement of the bright lights as they settled down to the floor across from him.

Feeling the violence leave the air, if not the tension, Noctis forced his heavy arms to move the slightest bit, so his good eye- the one that could see mostly regular things, not these weird lights-could catch a glimpse of his surroundings, hoping the two different signals would balance each other out and let him better understand what was going on.

Slowly, his eyes-or rather, his _good_ _eye_ \- began to heal enough to make out shapes and colors beyond the odd, colored lights and shadows. Shades of brown and blue and white began to bleed into the black, and then, like a switch had been flipped, Noctis could understand the words being exchanged even if the world was still a blur.

"-nis, what do we do? Do we turn back? Can we even do that with the signing ceremony going on?" An uncertain voice, tinged with pain was suddenly coherent, mid-sentence. Noctis jolted as he recognized the voice, and at his side, Carbuncle snuggled in closer, seeming to shiver slightly as the little Esper let out a quiet, almost inaudible whine, but was obviously too tired to project his voice to Noct again.

"I- I'm not sure. None of our phones are working after that strange power surge last night, and while one of us could walk to the rest area to call for help, it will be dangerous without the Regalia, and we still do not know what or... _who_ caused this." Ignis' unmistakably accented voice said, equally as quiet as Prompto.

He sounded upset, and far more uncertain than Noctis had ever heard his advisor, even after Altissia. "If this is the work of an assassin, they could come back to finish the job. Splitting our party up will only put us in further danger, but if Noctis does not recover soon, it is a risk we may very well have to take. Until then, we will be safest remaining on the Sanctuary grounds."

"But...if it _is_ an assassin..then that means they've gotten past the Sanctuary's wards already." Prompto pointed out, leaning forward into Noctis' limited line of sight as the young man focused on the royal advisor.

The blur of blonde hair, highlighted from within by an equally bright yellow light, turned in Noctis' direction. Barely visible blue eyes widened, then Prompto gasped, apparently realizing that Noctis was indeed awake and watching him. Vision clearing by the second, Noctis could clearly make out when Prompto jerked and grabbed his chest with a wince, the yellow light in his chest sparking brightly, before Prompto tugged on Ignis' sleeve and stage whispering " _IGNIS!"_ while pointing at Noctis urgently.

Ignis turned, the green light in his chest sparking like Prompto's had, but Noctis wasn't paying any attention to the light- he was captivated by Ignis' face, his _eyes_.

There were no scars on his face.

Ignis was wearing his normal glasses.

 _Ignis was okay_!

Noctis gasped, and both Ignis' and Prompto's lights sparked again, apparently a sign of alarm or concern, because that's the expression that filled his friend's physical forms. The two froze up, Prompto wincing all the while, then Ignis slowly lowered his hands from the air where they'd been gesturing, turning slowly until he was facing Noctis, as if he was afraid of spooking him… Noct didn't really blame him, from the few snippets he could remember of his blind panic the night before.

 _He really had traveled back to the past._

"Noctis? Are you with us, buddy?" Prompto finally managed after the tense silence had stretched out for too long. Stunned at the revelations, Noctis nodded slowly, if a bit awkwardly from his sideways position. Immediately, the tension drained out of Ignis' shoulders, but Prompto was still pressing one hand over his heart, staying sitting against the wall where he was slumped. His face was pale and Noctis' best friend looked shaky and sick.

Noctis frowned, concern flaring through him, and if his body would have cooperated, he would have been across the tent in a moment, to make sure his friend was okay. The last he had seen him before the Crystal, Prompto had still been recovering from his torture at the hands of the empire. The older Prompto he had gotten a glimpse of during that last day...he had seemed better, but it was obvious Noctis' absence and the ravage of time had affected all of the survivors greatly. He didn't know how well Prompto had actually coped before, but now…

...Now, Carbuncle had given him a second chance. A second chance to save everyone.

He wouldn't pass it up.

Licking his lips, Noctis had to focus a ridiculous amount just to get his tongue to cooperate with the syllables he wanted. "Pr-Prompto, are you okay?" Despite his best efforts, it still came out slurred.

Prompto let out a nervous laugh. "Haha, wow buddy, you're worried about me? I think we should be asking _you_ that question." Prompto smiled, though it looked forced as he levered himself up a bit and began scooting closer to where Noctis was lying with Carbuncle. Prompto's face twitched minutely as the blonde tried to hide the obvious pain he was in, and Ignis let out a sound that was part exasperated sigh, part worried mother-hen as he placed one hand out to help support Prompto into sitting cross-legged position, leaning against Gladio's massive backpack as a seat rest.

"Just a bit of heartburn ." Prompto said, fishing around in his own smaller pack, before he pulled out a familiarly-packaged, generic five-hour energy.

Carbuncle stiffened.

The blonde gunner twirled the colorful little bottle in his hands nervously as Ignis took charge of the situation now that Noctis was awake. Prompto was unabashedly staring at Carbuncle, who was tracking the Potion's path with his eyes warily, but so far neither Ignis or Prom had mentioned him yet.

"Noctis, are you in much pain? If you feel up to it, I _believe_ I can cast a healing spell, but it may exhaust you even more if I were to perform it." Ignis said, playing with the hems of his driving gloves as he surveyed Noct, "We have avoided using any spells thus far, as we know how much it affects you to be our conduit, and we are still unsure of the...origins of your injury." Here, green eyes leveled a stare at Carbuncle, who let out a growling squeak at the implication. "So far, every time we have tried to use any potions or similar items, or even to get _near_ you, your… companion has prevented us."

A new wave of cold energy flowed out of the Esper , stronger than before and Noctis smiled as he felt the healing energy sinking deep into his bones, mending breaks and knitting the flesh of his back and stomach tighter together. There was still an ache and a soreness throughout his body, but most of the agonizing pain had slowly faded until it was _just_ tolerable.

Shifting slightly, Noctis gingerly pushed himself up into a sitting position, ignoring his friends' startled and concerned exclamations about not trying to move. A wave of lightheadedness and slight nausea come over him, but he grit his teeth and pushed through.

Finally sitting upright, Noctis reached down and gratefully stroked Carbuncle's back, "No, I'm pretty good, guys. Carbuncle has healed most of it."

‹ _You can't use any of your old potions, or any magical healing items, ›_ Carbuncle suddenly whispered, sounding as if he were on the verge of passing out from exhaustion, ‹ _Because you are now of the Unseen like me, they will harm you instead of heal. The same goes for Luna; unless someone uses an enchanted phoenix feather on you, you cannot die, because you are not truly alive. But please, do not be reckless, as you can still be, and are_ _**still**_ _grievously injured, and until we can find a way to make you all or at least partly Seen again, my magic will be the only thing that can heal you reliably, and I myself am injured… Please, let your friends know, as I don't think I can stay awake for much longer... ›_ Carbuncle's voice trailed off, and Noctis knew his poor friend _had_ completely passed out.

Blinking his eyes, which he could see almost perfectly out of thank's to Carbuncle's last push of magic, Noctis straightened fully and looked down at his poor friend, only to see that his childhood guardian's words were more than true- his friend was not merely injured, he looked as bad as Noctis had felt last night. The once pure-white fur was now streaked with red, and black scars rippled across his flank and back, looking like infected chemical burns. Carbuncle's deep purple light was flickering weakly around the edges, but inside him, the core appeared to be burning strong still, thankfully.

Noctis wasn't sure yet what these strange lights were, but they seemed important, and despite the healing, this odd vision distortion hadn't disappeared, only strengthened. He had a feeling he was going to be stuck with it.

"What do you mean 'Carbuncle has healed most of it?'" Ignis questioned, gloved hands shooting out automatically when Noctis gently shifted Carbuncle onto his lap, but Ignis seemed to flinch back at the last second. Noctis watched curiously as the ivy-colored light tendril in Ignis' hand flickered back as well. "Who is Carbuncle? Do you know what happened? What manner of... creature _is_ that?" Iggy demanded.

"Yeah, and what did he mean by you're 'of the Unseen'?" Prompto pipped up.

Ignis and Noctis both stared at the gunner, who blushed at the sudden attention.

"I uh, it started last night, I can hear a tiny bit of what he's saying," Prompto stuttered, "Only bits and pieces, mostly its just this weird whispering I can't really hear, but just now I heard something like, something about Lady Lunafreya, um, that part about you being...invisible? And how potions will hurt you instead of heal you?"

The potion that Prompto had been fidgeting with was suddenly snatched out of his hands and chucked across the tent.

Noctis snorted at Ignis' quick movement, but internally conceded he must still be quite the sight, despite the (relative) lack of pain. His entire right arm was a mass of crisscrossing silver scars, which reached up the entire right side of his body, making the skin of his face and chest feel uncomfortably dry and tight.

"Well," Noctis said, figuring he should probably get this out of the way pretty soon, "Apparently potions and other magical healing items will hurt me now _because_ of the 'Unseen' thing, which also affects Luna probably because...uh, we're both from the future? And also undead?"

Shocked silence met this proclamation.

Noctis let out a _whooshing_ breath, feeling his shoulders drop as he considering everything he would have to reveal. He stared down at the bright white and silver scars dominating his hands, and was glad that the Ring was not there. He didn't think he could bear the sight of it. "Maybe we should get Gladio back in here for this, it's gonna take awhile."

After a moment, Ignis stood up and silently left the tent, leaving Noctis alone with the sleeping Carbuncle and Prompto. It felt like the temperature dropped ten degrees.

Prompto was staring at his hands, fiddling with his bracelet, looking like he was thinking too hard. Noctis could just barely make out the barcode underneath the strips of leather.

Glancing at the entrance of the tent, Noctis watched as Ignis, visible only as an earthy, green light, walked further away from the tent, heading towards a bright red light he could only guess was Gladio in the distance. It looked like the bodyguard had stalked away from the tent earlier, when Noct had first woken up and been unable to comprehend the world around him.

He wasn't sure how long Ignis and Gladio would be gone, but he had a feeling he wouldn't get another chance alone with Prompto like this for awhile.

"I know, Prompto, and it doesn't matter to me, you'll always be the real you." Noctis blurted out, wanting to waylay any fears his friend was harboring, but unable to think of any more eloquent ways of expressing it when he was so pressed for time.

Prompto jumped slightly at the sudden exclamation, and twisted his head to look up at Noctis. "Wait, what now?"

Noctis leaned in, trying to ignore how the skin of his neck seemed to _stretch_ uncomfortably with the movement and how his stomach roiled; he wanted to be as earnest as possible. "I know that you were born for the Magitek Troop program, but I also know that you're my best friend, and you always will be." Noctis said, taking one hand off of Carbuncle's flank and clapping Prompto reassuringly on the shoulder, feeling a momentary shock at how _hot_ Prompto's skin felt, as of he had a fever.

Prompto shivered at the contact, and then just stared at him, mouth agape. "Uh, I have literally no clue what you're talking about, Noct. Are you sure you're feeling okay, buddy? Your hands are like, ice cold?" Prompto looked like he wanted to stand up, to hover, or perhaps fetch Ignis faster, but the gunner had barely leaned forward to stand when he abruptly gasped and fell back against the backpack, clutching at his chest and wincing.

"Prompto!" Noctis said, jerking forward and accidentally jostled Carbuncle, who didn't stir. "Prom, what's wrong?"

"Owww, no, no i'm fine, it's just this stupid freakin' heartburn." Prompto said from between gritted teeth, flexing his jaw and screwing up his eyes. "It doesn't help that I kinda hit my head last night too, when, uh, _ow_ , Carbuncle? When Carbuncle healed you or whatever."

Noctis frowned, then spotted the energy drink that Ignis had tossed across the tent. "Did you try drinking a potion? Or if that didn't help, an elixir?" he demanded, knowing they had plenty of the cheap knockoffs in their stock, and quite a few of the high-end energy shots for emergencies.

"No, Ignis said we need to run more experiments with your healing magic, and he didn't think it would help, or could make it worse." Prompto said, reaching out (with some effort) and picking up the tiny bottle. Prompto fiddled with the cap as he stared surreptitiously at the bright silver scars that were slowly darkening on Noctis' hands. He sniffled suddenly, "Ignis he pretty much said uh, he pretty much said we shouldn't waste anything on me when we didn't know if you were going to make it through the night…"

Noctis forgot to breathe for a second. "I'm so sorry Prompto, I didn't even consider what you guys must have gone through last night, and _please_ , know that he didn't mean that in a bad way." He'd also forgotten that, no, they apparently haven't even started _using_ potions and stuff full time yet. "Well, we already know i'm going to be fine, now drink that freaking potion already. You've used it for heartburn before, and it worked just fine."

Prompto nodded, and without further prompting, unscrewed the little cap and knocked back the shot in one go, grimacing at the taste. Noctis laughed a bit at the sight of Prompto scraping his tongue on the back of his hand frantically as the gunner briefly glowed with the healing magic. "Ugh, oh wow, I forgot how disgusting those things are," Prompto moaned, chucking the empty bottle across the tent again, continuing to make faces at the taste.

"Don't worry, you get used to it," Noctis assured him, "And some of the Mega-Elixirs actually taste pretty good after awhile."

Prompto goggled at him. "Wait, what the heck, are you telling me we get rich enough to afford Mega-Elixirs? Those things are like, a thousand-gil a piece, and they're only _one ounce_. No, no, wait, I'm getting distracted. What were you saying about Magitek Troop programs?"

Noctis stared at Prompto, feeling as flabbergasted as Prompto honestly looked. He looked so sincerely confused but how… how could that be?

' _Not exactly something I could tell people, growing up in Lucis'_. He was remembering that right, wasn't he? Prompto had been acting like… he'd been acting like he had known his entire life what he was.

"Are you saying… you don't know where you got the barcode?" Noctis asked. "You don't know where you were born?"

"Wait, you know about my barcode?" Prompto looked surprised, then-

\- And Noctis could _literally_ see the second that Prompto registered the second part of his question; the golden light in his chest, which had been flared brightly, sparked, sputtered, and then curled in on itself. Prompto physically flinched away from Noctis, as if struck. Prompto shuddered and rubbed at his arms, goosebumps erupting on his pale skin as the golden flame retreated, making his extremities look dead.

Prompto, in a quieter, more subdued voice whispered, "You…. you know I was born in Niflheim? That I'm… that I'm not even a real Lucian?" Prompto's eyes were full of dread as he looked at Noctis, "My…. my parents, my adoptive parents, they never did like me, could barely stand the sight of me. They said I was a burden, a disgrace to Lucis, and, and they only kept a…. a _rat_ like me because they owed someone a debt…"

Noctis was simultaneously horrified and relieved. At the very least, he now knew Prompto hadn't suffered his entire childhood, tortured by the knowledge that he _wasn't even human_ \- but he'd had no clue that Prompto's parents were _that_ bad; he knew they were horrible parents, negligent in the extreme, absent more than they were present, but to actively tell their child they were a rat, that you only kept them because of a debt? Noctis' jaw worked as he fought to keep the fury at Prompto's parents locked away, somewhere the rage would not show in his eyes and make Prompto think it was directed at him.

Noctis quickly cast his gaze outside the tent, and saw that Ignis had apparently finally convinced Gladio to come back; he could see the green and red lights of his friends slowly making their way back... probably discussing Noctis himself. He didn't have a lot of time before they were here again and would hear everything personal he wanted to tell Prompto in confidence.

"Listen Prompto, in the future, we found out where you were born, and you were really worried about us not accepting you, but please, never doubt that you are my best friend in the entire world, and I could never _not_ love you for who you are." Noctis said quickly, plowing through the explanation, and ignoring for now the shocked and awed look in Prompto's eyes when Noctis said the word ' _love'_.

"We found out you were born in a facility in Niflheim, as part of an experiment to make cloned soldiers, the Magitek Troops, and I only just now realized you didn't actually know this yet, but in the future you found out in like the worst way possible, and I'm probably screwing this up royally but just know this doesn't change anything and we love you, Prompto, and nothing could ever change that, you're an invaluable member of the group, and I don't know what I would do without you." Noctis finished in a rush, seeing that Ignis and Gladio's lights were almost to the tent.

Prompto was staring at Noctis, apparently dazzled. "You… you really mean that? You… you don't think I… slow the group down, you…. You _love_ me?" Prompto said, his voice trembling, and his eyes suddenly getting shiny.

Noctis felt his unbeating heart breaking further. How on earth could he and Prompto been best friends for so long, and he had _never_ seen just how far the hurt went, how poorly Prompto thought of himself? Resolve like steel, Noctis gently shifted the unconscious Carbuncle onto a nest of blankets next to him, crawled over to Prompto, and wrapped his arms around him in a tight hug.

Noctis had never been one for physical affection. It made his skin crawl, it made him feel trapped, like there was a spotlight shining on him, and a million people _expected_ something from him that he couldn't understand.

But he also knew that Prompto needed this, he knew that Prompto always craved contact with people, because Prompto's childhood had been loveless, and his infancy before being rescued had undoubtedly been just as cold and sterile as his absent parents. Prompto _needed_ to know he was invaluable, that he was _loved_.

It felt like he was hugging a sun, the heat radiating off of Prompto was nearly overwhelming against his burns, but he refused to back down now and make Prompto second guess himself.

Prompto stiffened in his arms for a moment, probably shocked that Noctis was initiating something so intimate, then just completely _melted_ , arms wrapping around Noctis and clutching at him desperately, and Noctis could already hear Prompto's breaths turning into gasps, feel his shoulders shaking from emotion, at knowing he was accepted, even if he didn't fully understand what Noctis was telling him about the future and his own past.

Noctis could see the golden light in Prompto flaring brightly again, could feel Prompto's heart pounding against his chest- and wondered if Prompto would notice that Noctis' own heart was not beating. He hoped he wouldn't, he didn't want Prompto to worry anymore than he already was.

The tent flap rustled, a wave of heat gusted in, and Noctis immediately heard Gladio's rough voice bark out, "What the hell, Prompto? Noct shouldn't be moving around! _Are you trying to kill him?"_

Prompto jumped at the harsh exclamation, flinching away from Noctis as if _he'd_ been the one burned. Noctis barely caught a glimpse of Prompto dashing tears quickly from his eyes before Noctis had turned and rounded on Gladio, still crouched on the floor because he knew if he tried to stand, he would probably prove Gladio's point by falling over.

"Knock it off Gladio! Prompto's done nothing wrong and _you will apologize right now."_ Noctis snarled, and briefly enjoyed the look of surprise on his bodyguard's face. Obviously, Gladio was under the impression that Noct was still incoherent and catatonic, or at least not going to fight back at the injustices Gladio dished out without waiting for an explanation.

Gladio scoffed, narrowing his eyes. "How about you stand up and say that to my face?" he challenged, crossing his arms.

Noctis clenched his teeth. _You know what? Nope. Not this time._

He'd had enough of this the first time around. This Gladio, he was…. He was so immature. While trapped in the Crystal, Noctis had spent all of his time haunted by visions of the world being overrun by daemons; he'd had to watch, crying, screaming, raging, as men, women, and children were murdered in their beds, not only by daemons, but also by the various factions that rose up in the lawless land, pillaging and raiding settlements for their resources in a survival of the fittest fashion.

He'd watched his friends break apart in the dark, as their friendships shattered, either through misplaced aggression, or in silence when they should have stood up for themselves and each other. He'd watched as they split up, as they went out on their own, regret and frustration fueling them until they'd eventually, slowly, reunited, caution and kindness matured over time to displace the harsh words and silence of their youth.

Gladio…. Gladio had been the one to run away first. He'd stormed off, full of rage, spitting insults and condemnations at Prompto, at Ignis, for failing in their duties, for slowing them down, for lying about their past- and it had been Prompto that eventually brought them back together, years later, through his own rage and frustration, through forced reconciliations and maturity granted through the darkest of times, until Gladio finally revealed he had left because of his _own_ failings.

Noctis wasn't going to let Gladio destroy their friendships again, and he most certainly wasn't going to take Gladio's self-conscious retaliating bullshit anymore- Gladio needed to realize he was hurting the ones he loved, and he needed another outlet than harsh words and hits. Noctis still clearly remember the look of pain and betrayal in Prompto's eyes when Gladio had effortlessly shoved him to the floor on that damned train.

Noctis inhaled a slow, deep, deliberate breath, then released it. He gathered all of the cold energy that Carbuncle had sent to him, and used it to bolster himself as he rose to his full height from the floor, willing himself not to stumble as his knees shook and lightheadedness made his head spin. He squared his shoulders, raised his chin, and stared Gladio directly in the eye, seeing the blazing red fire behind it match his intensity..

"Apologize to Prompto, Gladio. I know you're worried about me, but you need to learn to take your aggression out on something other than your _friends_." Noctis said sternly, voice calm and collected. "As Ignis has undoubtedly told you already, I've been partially healed by Carbuncle, and I can move around fine."

Gladio scrutinized Noctis' face, taking in the defiant but strong stance, then averted his gaze. Gladio sighed. "Fine, fine. You're right, I'm sorry, Prompto."

It was probably because Gladio had only actually _looked_ at Prompto in that moment, but the bodyguard's expression quickly transformed from gruff remorse to astonished concern at seeing Prompto's tears. "Woah, hey, Prom, you know I didn't _really_ mean to yell at you, right?" Gladio asked, reaching out to Prompto, who had remained on the floor, hiding his face.

Prompto shook his head and chuckled weakly, and Noct saw how one hand clutching at the barcode under his bracelet. "No, no, I mean, it's okay, it's not like I could even kill Noct if I tried, since he's one of the restless dead and all now."

Noctis frowned at Prompto when he didn't defend himself, but conceded that self-confidence was something they all needed to work on. He could reassure Prompto of his worth all he wanted, but he knew a two-second speech and a hug was a drop in the bucket after years worth of self-doubt, especially if his parents had actively contributed to it.

Noctis reached out with his good hand and tried to pull Prompto to his own feet- only to release his grip with a cry as a sharp pain tore through his back and stomach when he tried to lift.

Knees buckling, Noct would have hit the ground hard if Ignis hadn't caught him, and both of them staggered to the floor under his weight as the scars from the Armiger, only partially healed, ripped open again.

There was a minute or so of frantic questions and shouts before Noctis waved the others off, reminding them that they couldn't actually do anything to heal him with magic. He let out a morbid, weak chuckle as he observed the dark red blood that now stained his hands as Ignis shoved a bunched up t-shirt against the wound, trying to staunch the flow.

Ignis' touch felt like a brand.

"Well fuck," He gasped out, "This is probably what Carbuncle meant when he said 'don't be reckless.' Good thing I can't actually die again, seeing as I already am..."

Ignis shook his head at his blasé response, then sighed. "Noct, please, do not make light of this situation, we have some very burning questions for you."

Prompto let out a strangled laugh.

Noctis rolled his eyes.. " _Really_ , Iggy?"

"Well," Gladio butted in, "You've certainly let us stew in anticipation long enough."

"These puns are really getting out of pan, guys." Prompto stuttered out, clutching at his arms.

Noctis groaned, then made sure he was near enough Carbuncle to run a hand through the burned, white fur. He needed something to ground him for the explanation to come, even with his friend's efforts to lighten the grim mood.

Noctis sighed. "Okay, so what do you guys know about the Prophecy, and about my father's Ring?"

He saw his friends exchange glances.

"Well, we know what pretty much everyone does, right?" Prompto finally said, "That in the past, the Six gave mankind a prophecy about a True King who would one day arise and save the world from a great Darkness. There's like a million movies and plays about it, even Little Malby had an episode where the King rose and tried to kill all the Marlboros until Malby convinced him not all of them were bad." Prompto supplied, counting off of his fingers, "People've also written like, a million AUs where their favorite ships find out one of them is the King or something."

Ignis nodded along, before adding, "One of my classes in college focused entirely on studying the Prophecy, and the various interpretations of it; some schools of thought even think that the Prophecy has come to pass already. Would you like me to recite it?"

"Please, Ignis." Noctis said, knowing that his own memory was patchy when it came to the exact wording.

"Yeah, my dad never really cared much for that kind of thing, so I only know what the shows and plays have said about it," Gladio admitted, rubbing the back of his head in embarrassment.

Ignis cleared his throat, pushed his glasses further up his nose, and began to speak, voice ringing strong and clear as he recited the prophecy in the traditional form:

" _O'er rotted Soil, under Blighted Sky,_

 _A dread Plague the Wicked as wrought,_

 _In the Light of the Gods, Sword-Sworn at his Side,_

' _Gainst the Dark the King's Battle is fought,_

 _From the Heavens high, to the Blessed below,_

 _Shines the Beam of Peace long besought,_

' _Long live thy Line and this Stone divine,_

 _For the Night when All comes to Naught.'"_

Noctis waited for Ignis to recite more, waited for him to mention the Sacrifice, waited for him to mention the Price, but _Ignis_ was the one looking at him expectantly, as if waiting for _Noctis_ to add on to it.

"Uh, Ignis, are you sure that's the entire thing?" Noctis finally asked, voice rasping as he tried to remember ever hearing a longer version of it. Most of the cartoons and even the plays he'd seen in his childhood never gave the exact wording, except for a sentence or two. But surely the Prophecy, the thing that had doomed him in early childhood, would include the fact that the _True King would Sacrifice himself for All?_

Ignis shook his head in the negative, "Apologies, Highness, but that is the only verse that was ever transcribed- and it is not always taken literally, word-for-word; For instance, the placement of commas and pauses can drastically alter the meaning, and many scholars believe that the Dark could be the darkness of mankind, our greed or our rage manifesting itself in war or poverty-"

"No, it's literal." Noctis interrupted, head spinning. "The Darkness is literally a darkness that swallows the world in eternal night, giving daemons free reign to infect and transform the masses, apocalypse style."

"...You might need to work on your delivery, there, Noct. We're still lost over here." Prompto said slowly, staring at him with wide eyes.

Noctis growled in frustration- trying to explain things calmly and slowly obviously wasn't working. Well, short and sweet had kind of worked with Prompto, right? He never really was one for talking so much anyways….

"Okay, long story short, the Prophecy is real, it's literal, it's about me, you guys are my sword-sworn, the Empire invaded Insomnia during the signing Ceremony, my father died, somehow Luna was in Insomnia during the bombing instead of Altissia so my father was able to give her the Ring to bring to me, which is a conduit to the Crystal that steals the soul of whoever wears it, and is the key to destroying the Scourge, um, with Cor's help we went around and collected the glaives of the previous kings so we could fight back the Empire while also making Pacts with the Six, finally got to Altissia to meet up with Luna and gain Leviathan's support, where she destroyed the capital, and then Luna died, and Ignis was blinded and then we went to Cartanica to get the last of the royal tombs and Prompto got kidnaped and we went to rescue him and I got trapped in the Crystal for ten years by Bahamut who finally let me out just so I could die by summoning the past Kings to kill the Accursed to fulfill the prophecy, and then I woke up here, last night. Carbuncle told me that he was able to bring Luna and I back to the past, and that we're now Unseen like he is, which apparently means we're undead, and healing magic will actually hurt us instead of help."

Oddly enough, Noctis didn't even feel breathless after saying all that in one quick go, though he'd had to pause for breath during it. His hand crept up to his opposite wrist as he watched his friends absorb his spiel, feeling again for a pulse, but there was nothing, despite the cold blood now coating his fingers. Curious, he decided to hold his breath, just to see how long he could.

"Are you… are you saying you _died?"_ Ignis voice suddenly asked, his voice sounding brittle, like he could shatter. "You died for a _prophecy_?"

Noctis nodded. "Yep." He said, still holding his breath. 'The Ring gave me these scars."

"And Lady Lunafreya, she died too…. But you said she traveled back in time with you?" Prompto asked, sounding both disturbed but relieved; Noctis now knew that Prompto idolized Luna, for being the one to give him his confidence in childhood.

" _Why are you guys focusing on that stuff?_ " Gladio suddenly thundered, and Noctis jumped.

Gladio rounded on Noctis, leaning forward so he could stare into his eyes, "You said the Empire invaded Insomnia during the Signing! That's not for another five days! We can stop it!"

Noctis stared at Gladio. He gusted out the breath he'd been holding, surprised, "Wait, what? _You mean the signing hasn't even happened yet?"_

"No! We literally just left Insomnia yesterday morning! The signing's not due until the 16th! It's only the 11th! We just need find a phone, call the King, and make sure he's prepared! Do you know how it happened? Did Niflheim start with an all-out attack, or did they send in spies? What kind of machinery were they using? How did they get past the wall? How-"

"Wait, stop, stop, hold on," Noctis said, leaning forward himself, until Gladio himself had to take a step back, lest they bump noses, "The only thing we heard about the invasion came from a newspaper that said insurgents had bombed the ceremony in protest, and that Dad, Luna, and I had all died in the explosions. The empire took the Crystal for 'safekeeping',and pretty much all of Insomnia evacuated to Lestallum over the course of the next year, since it's the most advanced city outside of the Wall. Not even Cor knew all the details of what happened." Noctis said, shaking his head. "Jared and Talcott weren't able to tell us much about what happened, but they were able to get Iris out safely. Your dad… he died defending mine."

Gladio's face was ashen when he leaned back, but he did smile in sad pride at that revelation. "No better way for an Amicitia to go." He whispered, seemingly trying to convince himself.

"Besides, Carbuncle said that Luna and Nyx, one of my father's Glaive, are on their way to meet us as we speak. We have to wait for them before anything else... Actually, where _are_ we, anyways?" Noctis asked, only realizing at that moment that he hadn't actually seen past the walls of the tent since he woke up.

"We are currently in the Leide region, a few miles from Hammerhead," Ignis supplied, "We had taken on a hunt this morning to raise funds to repair the Regalia, and night fell before we were able to return to the rest area, so we set up Gladio's tent here, at the Cotisse Sanctuary."

Noctis nodded along, he remembered camping out here the first time, too. Of course, he _hadn't_ randomly woken up in the past with fatal wounds the first time…

"Can you help me up? I want to see outside. I want to see the sky." Noctis asked, looking up at Gladio, before checking himself. Noctis glanced down at the bundled up shirt that had been pressed against his stab wound, and found that the blood there had coagulated into blackish scabs, that still seeped red if he stretched too much or tried to pull the shirt away. He shot his bodyguard a pleading look, knowing he was in no shape to be moving around like he'd been earlier- Carbuncle was probably going to throw a fit when he woke up… but he also desperately wanted to see the clear sky again for the first time in years.

His desperation must have been evident, as Gladio rolled his eyes, then sighed. "Fine, fine. Iggy, you mind getting some 'proper' bandages on his cuts and burns first? There's some shirts in my bag I don't mind being shredded, now that that little rat is letting us near Noct."

"Hey," Noctis said, offended on Carbuncle's behalf, "If it weren't for him you'd probably have tried to use a potion or cure spell on me." He reminded as Ignis dutifully sliced some of Gladio's huge shirts lengthwise with his daggers, before showing Prompto how to as Ignis moved closer to Noctis, a small pair of hairdressing scissors in his hand.

"I will have to remember to thank this… Carbuncle, when he awakens." Ignis said fervently, "I can only assume that as you said you are…. 'Unseen' like your friend, then the elixir we attempted to use last night would have given you the same chemical burns as it did when it spilled on him." Ignis said, pointing out the bubbled, black burns that decorated Carbuncle's white hide, regret and pain clear in the advisor's green eyes. "

Ignis shivered as he began to gently cut Noctis' ruined shirt off. "I shudder to think of what the internal damage would have been, if we had gotten you to drink one…"

Prompto made a gagging noise at the thought as Ignis slowly peeled away the ruined shirt pressed against Noctis' stomach, and then re-wrapped the wounds in the new 'bandages' until Noctis was so covered in strips, he looked like a mummy. When Ignis started loosely wrapping his arm as well, Noct began to seriously worry he wouldn't be able to move an inch with so much fabric covering him.

Noctis observed anew the wounds on his little friend. Those were caused by a lowly _potion?_ He wondered if there was anything they could do for the little Esper, but wasn't exactly sure how his physiology differed from a mortals, seeing as how he was usually on a completely different plane than Eos.

Deciding that attempting to help (without magic, obviously) was better than nothing, Noctis beckoned Prompto closer and asked if he could try cleaning a few of Carbuncle's wounds, seeing as Prompto was an animal lover who had adopted out dozens of stray or injured animals he'd rescued from the streets of Insomnia.

Prompto's eyes lit up at the invitation, and Noctis' friend was quick to scuttle closer, no longer wincing with every movement, the tear tracks dried and scrubbed from his face to reveal his usual optimistic self. Prompto was quick to borrow a few of the smaller, black scraps of fabric from Ignis, who had nearly finished wrapping a large wadding of fabric around the bad side of Noctis' face, obscuring the magical vision and leaving him feeling oddly disconcerted at the lack of multi-colored lights he had been able to see glowing from his friends.

With just his 'good' eye, Noctis found he had trouble judging distance, and everything looked a lot flatter without the fires that had sparked and wavered wherever he saw a living thing. It was especially weird since he'd only had that ability for an hour, at most, but it felt like it had always been a part of him, something vital and necessary.

Watching Prompto work at expertly tying little bandages around the worst of Carbuncle's exposed burns, Noct had to fight himself not to rip off the cloth covering his bad…. No, his _dead_ eye.

When Prompto had finally finished covering the Esper's wounds, Gladio stepped forward and slowly, gently, hauled Noctis up into his arms, being careful to keep him in one position so his back and stomach wounds wouldn't open again from stretching. Noctis winced slightly at how hot Gladio's arms were, but kept his mouth shut- he could feel Gladio shivering already, and he knew they would probably refuse his request to go outside if he showed any more discomfort- he could see the worry on all their faces, and knew it was a miracle they hadn't been overwhelmed already.

Ignis hurried forward to hold open the tent's flap, and immediately reddish-gold light filtered in. Noctis' breath caught in his throat at the sight, and he found himself eagerly leaning forward. He'd been assuming it was still the middle of the night, but… but it looked like the sun…

"Is that a sunrise?" He whispered, and heard the pain and awe in his own voice. His hands were suddenly trembling, and he found himself clenching his good hand around the knee of his pajama pants, trembling, wanting to reach out to the light.

Wordlessly, Ignis stepped back, moving out of the way as Gladio ducked through the flap, bringing Noctis out into the first sunrise he'd seen in over a decade. The warmth of the sun washed over Noctis, and a warm breeze ruffled his hair as he stared at the horizon- as he stared at the way the whole world seemed to be a riot of bright colors, and even the fluffy, white clouds in the sky were painted the brightest of pinks on their back sides.

"It's beautiful." Noctis whispered, reverent, and in that moment, he knew:

He would never, _ever_ let the world fall into an endless night, _ever again._

They were going to save the world, and it _wouldn't_ take ten years of hell to do it.

He wouldn't allow it.

 _Not this time._


	3. Chapter 3

They all spent the next few minutes just watching the sunrise, Noctis basking in the warm light while his friends slowly digested all that he'd told them. Prompto was fiddling with his phone, still trying to turn it on, when Noctis suddenly felt a weird tingling in the back of his head, and his skin began to itch and crawl.

He leaned forward, uncovered eye snapping up, to a point in the distance that seemed to be calling to him.

"Noct?" Gladio, who was still holding him, had noticed his sudden focus. But to Noctis, it sounded like Gladio was far away...

Noctis couldn't answer as he strained his living eye, trying to peer into the distance enough to see what it was he was sensing. After a few seconds of squinting uselessly, Noctis growled and ripped the bandages off his face, unmasking his dead eye and bathing the world in the fiery colors of life itself once more.

His bad eye stung and burned _horribly_ in the bright sunlight, which was probably why Ignis had covered it up, but Noctis didn't care- because now he could see what was approaching, what was calling out to his very soul-

In the distance, he could distinguish it now: before, it had just looked like a speck in the endless, red, dusty earth, but now, with his dead eye to enhance his vision, Noctis could see a riot of blazing yellow and brightest green racing towards them, growing closer and clearer by the second.

He knew who it was, in his bones, in his soul, they were calling out to him:

 _Brother, brother, BROTHER!_

"LUNA!" Noctis screamed, rational thought suddenly flying out the window as he struggled in Gladio's grasp, wanting, _needing_ nothing more than to get closer, to know that they were safe, to know that they were okay, because their souls were _screaming_ out to him now, too, and he could _smell_ it, could _feel_ it from even this great distance, the blood that covered them, the pain that caused their lights to spark and flicker _. "NYX!"_

Twin roars, deep enough to shake the land answered his screams, and he could hear that same terror, that same drive to be closer, to be sure of his safety, in every echo.

Those roars were apparently some kind of trigger, because the crawling of Noctis skin abruptly _changed_ and he felt icy magic swimming over him as his entire body shifted into _something_ else.

Noctis finally succeeded in scrambling out of Gladio's arms, fell only a few inches instead of feet to the ground as Gladio leapt away, and started crawling on limbs that were longer and odd, paws scrabbling in the dirt as Luna and Nyx drew ever closer, so fast they were almost a blur, and on any other day Noctis probably wouldn't have been able to believe his eyes as two massive Coeurls, their pelts white and black-striped, leapt the ten-foot jump to get on top of the Sanctuary with ease despite the blood that covered their flanks and the scars maring their stripes. Electric blue eyes stared at him and he could see his own reflection in them- he too, had somehow become a Coeurl.

The two massive creatures zeroed in on Noctis and he reached out to them, and for the first time saw the color of his own soul, a bright, deep blue, as it extended past his body and merged with the electric yellow and grass green fires of the souls in front of him; he saw as the colors combined and spread, filling in the gaping holes that he hadn't even noticed in his own soul, forging new connections and strengthening old ones as strength flowed into his limbs, a strength he had not had since he had first put on the Ring in Gralea.

He hadn't realized it back then, but he could feel it now: his soul had been in tatters by the time Carbuncle came for him; every time he'd used the Ring, he had been tearing his soul into pieces, and that final summoning had been what nearly did him in and destroyed him completely. He had literally been on the cusp of becoming _nothing_.

Hell, even Bahamut had told him, if he banished the Accursed, his soul would be destroyed. Noctis hadn't cared at the time, he'd already been too damaged. But now he could see what had been torn away from him as Nyx and Luna's ragged souls mingled with his and they all three began to weave a brighter tapestry of lights; yellow, blue, and green, intertwined with deepest, royal purple.

As their souls merged, Noctis caught a glimpse of memories, of what had caused the damage to Luna and Nyx's souls, and his anger at Bahamut grew.

Luna's soul had been damaged by the covenants she forged with the Six- each Pact had torn another portion of her soul away, until her very body began to decay from within from the strain.

Nyx's soul had been damaged in the same way as Noctis', from channeling magic from the Ring through his connection to the King. Nyx had been a soldier for years, and in training from the time he was a young child. All of this had slowly begun to wear away his soul- but the biggest damage had only occured hours previously, when he tried to use magic to _heal_ Luna, magic that had been lost for generations because of how much it harmed the caster, and nearly died trying to fight off General Glauca in his condition, all with only magic borrowed from the King through the Ring.

Carbuncle had arrived then, already drained from Pulling Luna and Noctis through time, and been further injured in the battle when he tried to shield Nyx and Luna from Glauca. Nyx had immediately recognized Carbuncle (from what?) and begged him for the power to defend Luna and defeat Glauca; Carbuncle had reluctantly obliged and Pulled Nyx's soul from the future as well; Nyx had gained all of the abilities of his future self- specifically the abilities he gained when he became a powerful daemon some time after the Fall.

The huge forms of the Coeurls in front of him looked like they were melting, shrinking, fur dissolving into skin, paws into hands and feet, Silver horns and long purple whiskers fading into hair, until two bloody and dishevelled human figures were visible: Lunafreya Nox Fleuret, in a ragged ornate dress, and a scarred Nyx Ulric, in a damaged Kingsglaive uniform.

The two fellow Champions fell into a heap near Noctis, and they all clasped their arms around each other, the sudden ravenous _need_ to be in physical contact with the others fading as the fires of their souls settled again, feeling more whole than before.

Noctis could feel exhaustion weighing him down again, and struggled to remain awake- he was so _sick_ of sleeping- but his will quickly gave out when he felt Nyx grip his hand tighter.

‹ _I'll keep them safe. Don't worry. ›_ Nyx's voice, (so familiar despite having heard him speak only once in his life, when Nyx drove him from the palace to his apartment so long ago) reverberated in his head, the way Carbuncle's did. Noctis struggled to meet Nyx's eyes, and saw that the Glaive had scars almost to match Noctis' own burns.

‹ _We need to save Ardyn. He's the key to it all. ›_ Noctis insisted, feeling his eyes struggling to stay open with every blink. His head, suddenly top-heavy, fell onto Luna's shoulder as she struggled closer, and he felt her breath catch as she saw the full extent of his injuries.

‹ _Oh, my dear Noctis, I am so sorry, this is all my fault ›_ Luna whispered, one pale hand hovering over the ruined half of his face, as if wishing to use her magic, but both of them knew it would only make things worse.

With what strength remained, Noctis sluggishly shook his head, ‹ _No, all I ever wanted was to save you, my first friend... It was worth all the pain, if it meant we could be here…. Finally together…. We can…. save everyone…›_

He saw her nodding her head above him, tears in her eyes, and then he fell into exhausted sleep once more.

* * *

"- _\- ng Regis does not know what has become of Nyx and I. When I appeared, I was still feeling the extent of my former injuries, and Nyx heard my screams and came running. Titus Drautos is actually a spy in charge of turning other Kingsglaive to the Empire's side, and is really General Glauca. He was keeping me under guard from a distance, and in the original timeline would have kidnaped me in a few days time, after the official welcoming ball._

" _When he heard the commotion in my room and heard Nyx's report of me being attacked, he came to my rooms and attacked us as Glauca. Nyx tried to defend me, and Carbuncle appeared then and granted Nyx's request for Glauca was defeated, and we immediately fled, knowing we had to get to Noctis before the Empire or the Kingdom's traitors could attack again. Carbuncle alerted us before he left that you were still in the Leide region, and that's when the…. Transformation took place._ " Luna's voice, sounding hushed, suddenly broke through Noctis' slumber, and he struggled back to wakefulness. He could feel Nyx and Luna pressed against his sides, the fires of their souls intermingling with his, the coolness of their Unseen bodies a welcome change to the searing heat of his Seen friends.

" _But… why on earth would you all suddenly be able to change into Coeurls? Time travel is one thing but…. Becoming a werecat is quite another…"_ That was Ignis' voice…. Wasn't it?

" _Coeurls, specifically, Regal Coeurls are the sacred animals of Etro; I would say I'm surprised you don't know this, considering your own Crownsguard uniforms, but to be honest, it seems like all you Insomnians have forgotten your own history, too caught up in your superiority to the rest of the Kingdom from behind your Wall."_

" _ **Nyx!"**_ Luna's scandalized voice rang out.

" _I for one, cannot blame you for that assertion. Most Insomnians are completely intolerant to the rest of the Kingdom."_

Noctis sat up. And stared. No one reacted to his movement.

" _Don't forget ignorant too, I didn't even know what a gil was until we got out here."_

Noctis was confused.

" _...You seriously didn't know what a gil was…?"_

…again.

" _Wait, who's this Etro again?"_

" _Oh you have_ got _to be kidding me."_

He clearly remembered falling asleep, and he had just woken up. He'd sat up… and now he could see that he was bright blue and transparent, while beneath him his body hadn't moved, and slept on between his Unseen friends. Flabbergasted, he listened in as Nyx and Luna told his friends what had happened to them in the Citadel, and It seemed like only a few minutes had passed since he and Luna had been reunited.

He could clearly see a vein in Nyx's forehead twitching as he was told just how clueless Noctis and his friends had been-were-are? About life outside Insomnia, and Noctis couldn't help a smile at the frustration on the Glaive's face even in such a weird situation..

‹ _Noct? Can you hear me yet? ›_ Carbuncle voice suddenly said, and Noctis turned around a little too fast, and had to fight to keep himself upright as his momentum spun him like a top where he was hovering. Flailing his arms, Noctis tried to grasp onto a sleeping bag or a support pole, but his hands passed right through.

"What's going on?," Noctis tried to ask as his spinning gradually slowed, but nothing came out. He furrowed his brow.

‹ _C',on Noct, I know you can do it! You have to use your soul to speak! It's easier in your Sacris forms, but with enough practice, you'll be able to do it in your human form as well. ›_

 _Sacris?_ Oh, wait, Carbuncle probably meant when he turned into a Coeurl; he, Luna and Nyx had been speaking in each other's minds. Except he wasn't even sure how he'd done that…

It took a few minutes of fruitless muttering, but finally, Noctis figured out that if he drew the flames of his soul out into the air around him like a cloak, he could project his voice beyond his mute throat. It was tiring, but worth it when he saw the pride in Carbuncle's black eyes. The Esper's physical body was still sleeping next to Nyx, and it seemed like Carbuncle was spirit-walking the same way Noctis was.

‹ _Okay Carbuncle, so…. What just happened, with me and Luna and Nyx? That was…. Really really weird. I didn't even feel like a human anymore once I… felt them coming closer, and even now, I can feel this itching to be closer to them. What's up with that? I don't even like touching people usually. ›_

‹ _Oh, that? That was kind of…. Unforeseen, heh heh... I didn't expect you all to have that reaction, even if your souls were injured previously. It's possible that I messed up somehow when I Pulled you three back in time, or maybe this is something that Mother wills. Or maybe fate was always tying you together; not just anyone can successfully merge their soul with another person's to heal both, let alone three people's souls being perfect matches. ›_ Carbuncle explained, looking a little sheepish.

Noctis was nodding along with the outlandish explanation, then his brain seemed to halt at the last part. ‹ _Perfect matches? No, wait…. You don't mean we're soulmates do you!? ›_ He demanded, feeling a little nauseous at the thought. He'd seen the same movies and read the same books as everyone else, and Soulmates usually meant romance and…. _sex_.

Noctis shuddered at the thought.

‹ _Oh! Yes, Soulmates is actually a really good way to describe it! Perfect, even! ›_ Carbuncle cheered, apparently unaware of Noctis' unease, ‹ _It's incredibly rare of course, most people could go their whole lives without meeting someone with a perfectly compatible soul; then again, most people aren't able to see souls in the first place, or have a chance to damage them permanently. Souls_ do _heal overtime, just very slowly, and it can take hundreds of cycles to repair even a small tear. That's why it's so difficult to heal you right now, but it should go a lot faster now, since you, Luna, and Nyx are all perfectly compatible, you guys healed almost all of the damage already! ›_

Dread filled Noctis as Carbuncle continued talking. Finally, he couldn't take it anymore, ‹ _Okay, but just because we're soulmates doesn't mean we have to like… date or anything right? I know me and Luna have to get married for the Treaty, but that's like, a best friend thing. Not a romance thing, you know? We're both just doing our duties to our people. Niflheim didn't say anything about us needing to produce an heir or anything, and how on eos is it going to work if Nyx is our soulmate too? ›_ Noctis was panicking, and he was babbling too. ‹ _Oh gods oh gods what if Luna and Nyx start flirting with me? How old is Nyx anyways?›_

‹ _No, wait, Noct, calm down, it doesn't have to be like that at all, humans for the most part are beings focused on reproducing, but the concept of Soulmates goes back further than even the first humans of your world. It doesn't have to be_ _ **that**_ _kind of relationship, people who meet their soulmates typically have very strong bonds, and while some of them do pair up romantically, just as many of them are best friends, or are even family members. You don't have to do anything you're uncomfortable with! ›_ Carbuncle reassured him, launching himself across the tent to nuzzle one ghostly-blue cheek against Noctis' face, sending waves of cold energy into him.

Now that Carbuncle mentioned it, the… bond he could feel between him, Nyx, and Luna felt more like a familial bond than romantic love, but how was he supposed to know what was what? Romance and sex had always been a mystery to him, and it had been a welcome relief as a child to confess his _brokenness_ to Luna through their notebook exchanges, and have her tell him she felt the same way, and always thought it was just her, because everyone she spoke to seemed so caught up in entanglements of love or passion, and she just couldn't understand it.

Noctis sighed in relief at the Esper's words and the memory that he and Luna were the same, and felt himself gradually calming down. It was a very odd experience to be so worked up and _not_ have his heart pounding in his ears, or his breath being too fast. It made him feel all disjointed, like he was having an out of body experience or …. Something other than what was currently _literally_ happening.

‹ _So uh, Carbuncle… why exactly am I floating around while my body's down there? ›_

Noctis asked, running one hand through Carbuncle's fur. This night was just going from weird to just plain old _freaky._ How many more surprises were in store for him with this time travel business?

‹ _Oh, that one's easy. After you do a lot of soul magic- such as when yours, Luna's, and Nyx's souls merged, but mostly because of the summoning you did before I Pulled you back- it's very easy for your soul to Wander out of your body to recharge. It'll only happen when you've done a lot of really advanced soul-related stuff, so you don't have to worry about it happening every time you fall asleep, but it's a good way to explore the world while your body rests._

 _You'll keep Wandering until your soul has recharged enough, then you'll wake up in your body again. You can go anywhere you please until you wake up, but no one will be able to see you, and you can't really interact with anyone unless they have the Sight until you've advanced in enough in manipulating your soul- but since you're the only human I know of that has the Sight, it might get a bit lonely pretty fast until you can train more. ›_ Carbuncle explained, hopping down to the 'ground' wherein he floated a few inches above the earth.

‹ _Wait, you're saying I could, like, spy on the emperor himself, and no one would see me? ›_ Noctis asked, thinking hard. ‹ _Or even that I could… find where Ardyn is exactly, so we know where to trap him? ›_

‹ _You could… › Carbuncle hedged, ‹ But you have to be very careful when it comes to him. I've seen your plan in your dreams, and while it's admirable, Ardyn has been infected with the Scourge for almost two thousand years. The virus will have adapted to his body, making his particular strain resistant even to Luna's healing magic. ›_ Carbuncle said, ears drooping. Noctis watches as the Esper looked around the tent, seeming as if he was trying to collect his thoughts.

‹ _The only way you would have a chance of curing him would be to combine Luna's magic with blood from someone who's immune to the Scourge, usually from someone who was exposed to a small amount of the infection while in infancy, but most people that initially survive such exposure die at a very young age from a weakened immune system, or gradually mutate into daemons as the virus takes hold. ›_

Noctis frowned as he contemplated Carbuncle's words. He'd never heard of anyone or their children surviving daemon attacks at such a young age, but maybe it was something he could ask Ignis about? Surely if there were any known survivors, there would be papers published about it? People studying anything they could to find a cure? ‹ _Well, we can cross that bridge when we come to it. Could you show me how to find Ardyn awhile? Or is it like you said, I just wander around until I find him or wake up?›_

‹ _Well, since you know him personally, it should be easier to locate him while Wandering. You just have to focus really hard on who you want to find, or where you want to go, and you'll find your Path. ›_ Carbuncle flicked his tail and then floated over to the entrance of the tent, ‹ _Before you go jumping into the deep end though, it might be a good idea for you to get your soul-legs first. ›_

Noctis proved Carbuncle point by trying to take a step forward, and immediately falling into a slow-motion somersault. Noctis flailed his arms again, trying to stop the forward spin, but all that seemed to do was making him spin faster.

The squeaking, chittering sounds from the front of the tent told him how humorous Carbuncle found his situation, and Noctis couldn't help his own chuckle. This was too ridiculous, especially after all the stressful things he'd had to endure the past few hours.

Sticking his arms out straight, Noctis tried to 'swim' over to Carbuncle- and found to his surprise it worked surprisingly well. Gaining his momentum, Noctis floated nearly effortlessly over to Carbuncle, who did a little prance when he saw Noctis doing so well.

 _Okay, let's have you do a few laps around the Sanctuary so you get the hang of it, and try to go as fast as you can. ›_

Noctis nodded as he phased through the closed tent entrance. ‹ _Got it ›_

The next few minutes were filled with Noctis swimming laps in the air around the grounds, gradually gaining speed as he learned to use the flames of his soul to push him along; the only particularly interesting part was when he accidentally swam too low, and momentarily disappeared beneath the ground.

It was a very weird sensation, being surrounded on all sides by heavy dirt, and the part of Noctis' brain that enjoyed video games couldn't help but think of it, hilariously enough, as _clipping_. It was also weird because he'd just kind of _assumed_ he wouldn't be able to go under the earth or buildings or anything. Most ghosts in all the movies he'd seen stayed solidly above ground, despite being able to pass through walls.

‹ _Well, you_ did _say I could 'go anywhere' ›_ Noctis conceded to Carbuncle. ‹ _Does this mean I can go to the center of the earth if I really wanted? ›_

‹ _Sure, there's lots of old ruins buried underground, it might just take you awhile to get to them since you've probably never been to them in person. Once you've physically visited a place, or Wandered there, you can forge a Path whenever you want when you're here, same as finding people. ›_

‹ _Cool. ›_

‹ _Very! ›_

‹ _Okay then, how exactly do I make a Path to Ardyn? You said just focus really hard on where I want to be? Or rather, who I want to find? ›_

‹ _That's pretty much it, yep! Focus all of your energy on finding Ardyn, and reach out with your soul. It'll feel a lot like when you're channeling magic, since it's pretty much the same thing. ›_

Noctis took a deep breath out of habit, and then closed his eyes. _I need to find Ardyn, I need to find Ardyn, I need to find Ardyn Lucis Caelum…_ Raising one hand, he flared the purplish-blue flames of his soul out, sending a tendril of light up his arm and out of his palm, searching, seeking. It took a few seconds but then…. _There!_

The blue tendril that he'd sent out of his hand suddenly sparked like a firework and shot off into the distance, towards Insomnia…

And the world twisted around Noctis.

‹ _Woah! ›_ He shouted in surprise, as the sky suddenly hurtled down towards him, shifting into a night sky from the previous sunrise, as though time was fastforwarding. The sky slammed down on him like a waterfall, or as if he were diving into a pool from a great height. He had closed his eyes, expecting pain, but the odd sensation of pressure had passed without incident.

Opening his eyes, he gasped in awe as he saw himself surrounded by stars and the void of space, with that single blue tendril stretching out in front of him, one end tied around his wrist, pulling him along with steady pressure, like a leash.

Twisting around, he saw Carbuncle diving gracefully in a spiral around him, and the Esper smiled at his surprise.

‹ _Don't worry, you'll get used to it! ›_ Carbuncle called, ‹ _Insomnia's not too far away, so this won't last very long, but it can get a bit disorientating if you're going somewhere reaaallly far away. ›_

True to the Esper's words, Carbuncle had barely finished speaking before a sensation like a great wave passing up Noctis's body from his feet made him stumble, then the starscape around them surged back upwards and-

Ardyn was standing less than a foot away, staring directly into his eyes.


	4. Chapter 4

Noctis shouted and leapt away, rolling to the side, expecting to hear Ardyn's voice taunting him as he lost control of his movement- he was far too terrified to control his speed- Noctis squeezed his eyes shut desperately as his body went flying through a solid steel wall, rolling out of control, his surroundings spinning like a top until Carbuncle suddenly latched onto the edge of his jacket, and with surprising strength for such a small body, forcibly halted his momentum.

Falling to his knees, Noctis clutched Carbuncle to his chest, his entire body shaking uncontrollably as terror raged through his soul, his mind replaying the fight with Ardyn in Insomnia, feeling every stab, kick and punch as though the daemon were attacking him again. The bright steel walls dissolved into broken buildings and scorched concrete, and Noctis screamed as he found himself in his ruined city, surrounded on all sides by creatures of the darkness as blood poured down his arm from one of Ardyn's conjured daggers, and ice crept up his skin from the freezing magic Ardyn had cast directly at his chest.

 _He could feel his body failing from the cold, and fought to summon up flames to melt the ice, but he did not have any pre-made spells available, and he had always been bad at casting off-hand. He raised his hand and poured all of his concentration into a flame spell, and his hand with the Ring was immediately wreathed in fire, but instead of melting the ice only, the fire burned him even as he summoned it, and with a scream, he threw the fire at Ardyn, desperate now to end this fight._

 _The Armiger whirled around him, drawing on his strength like a poison, and he could feel himself weakening even as Ardyn himself barely dodged the fire. A spark leapt from the ground and caught on the Accursed's large coat nevertheless, setting him ablaze._

 _The daemon roared in pain as it charged at Noctis, body wreathed in flames as it raised its own magenta Armiger in the air, but Noctis could see it faltering, see the Accursed's steps slowing, clumsy, as it raised it's Shield, and Noctis knew he had to press his advantage._

 _Feeling it's pull on his soul, Noctis took up his own Shield and bashed away at the Accursed, meeting it weapon for weapon as it tried to use each of the Royal Arms in turn, with Noctis' blue overpowering the red in splashes of bloody darkness until he took up his father's own Glaive and-_

‹ _-ct! It's okay, he can't see you! ›_ Carbuncle cried, and just like that, Noctis was pulled out of his memories and back in the ornate steel storage room, shaking like a leaf with only Carbuncle's weight keeping him anchored. ‹ _It's okay, Noct, it's okay. It's okay. He can't see you, he can't hurt you. It's okay. ›_

Noctis clenched his arms, hugging Carbuncle to his chest, and allowed himself to fall to his knees, barely floating above the floor as Carbuncle repeated his mantra over and over, radiating comfort and security and love as Noctis broke down.

 _I knew I was going to have to face him again._ Whispered his mind, _I shouldn't be so afraid. I'm planning on saving him- I shouldn't be this weak at just the_ sight _of him._

He forced his eyes up, to search for Ardyn's soul, despite the terror still pounding through his veins.

Looking at the brilliant blaze of lime-green fire on the other side of the wall did not help settle his nerves at all, especially when he saw how small the fires of the two other visible occupant's were compared to Ardyn's.

 _No, I can do this. I can do this! I_ have _to do this!_

It took long minutes until the shaking in his limbs had receded, and the buzzing in his ears to dissipate, and by that time he was half-afraid he'd screwed up his chance entirely; he didn't know how much time he had left until he was pulled back to his body, and he didn't even know _where_ exactly they were yet.

Steeling his nerves, and grateful Carbuncle was still perched in his arms, Noctis scrubbed the tears out of his eyes, slowly poked his head out of the wall, and glanced around.

Oh.

Ardyn really _hadn't_ been looking at him; he was staring at the Emperor impatiently, and Noctis had appeared directly _in front of_ Ardyn.

A nervous, self-deprecating chuckle escaped him, and Noctis was glad the others weren't around to see his momentary break down. Creeping out of the wall, Noctis floated forward until he could observe the situation in its entirety.

The emperor was sitting on an ornate throne and was reading some kind of report in his hands. His red soul appeared to be flickering around the edges, possibly a sign of his age, and beside him stood a member of the Kingsglaive, lit from within by blue, and with a start, Noctis remembered Luna's far-away words about members of the Kingsglaive turning traitor.

Iedolas waved his hand dismissively, and the unknown Glaive stalked from the room, boots clomping on the metal deck.

"So. It would appear as though the Oracle has evaded us, with the help of one of King Regis' prized 'Kingsglaive'... and that this… _Glaive_ managed to defeat Glauca?" The emperor's voice was soft, but hard as steel as he sent a cold glare in Ardyn's direction. "You promised me that the Oracle would remain complacent in staying once she reached Insomnia, that she would be bound to her Calling above all else."

Ardyn looked rather annoyed at this pronouncement. "My… _apologies_ , your Majesty, it _is_ rather curious that the Lady Lunafreya could resist her Calling… especially, from what I have heard from our own Ravus Nox Fleuret, she's planning on making the…" Ardyn paused, and Noctis watched as his golden eyes stared directly into Iedolas' silver ones, before continuing, a smile creeping on the corners of his lips: " _Covenants_."

Iedolas' reaction was instant; the aging empoer surged up in his chair, starring with enraged eyes at Ardyn as he stalked towards his Chancellor. " _What,"_ he spat, jabbing one finger in Ardyn's face, and Noctis watched in some amused horror as spittle hit Ardyn on the forehead.

Ardyn's golden eyes twitched, and Noctis watched as his expression slowly darkend with every word the Emperor spoke, shining a brighter yellow as the Emperor kept one finger jabbing at Ardyn in the chest."Why are we only hearing this now? This is unacceptable! We must go at once and destroy her before she can awaken the Six! This cannot be allowed to continue-"

The Emperor cut off with a strangled gurgle.

Noctis took a large step back, and even Carbuncle began to tremble on his shoulder.

Ardyn had casually plunged a knife into Iedolas' heart, and when Ardyn looked up to meet the stunned eyes of the Emperor, Noctis could see that his entire visage had been overcome again by the daemons coursing in his blood; Scourge oozed from his eyes and the corners of his mouth, black veins snaked their way across his suddenly-pale face, and his irises were now a menacing, _glowing_ gold compared to their previous shine, lit from within as yellow surged in his soul's fire, burning away most of the green. Even his hair had lost much of its color, until it looked thin, translucent and decayed.

 _Dead_.

A flash of the final battle flared behind Noctis' eyes, and he forcibly shook his head to rid himself of the memory.

"Ah, such a pitiable waste," The Accursed purred, voice echoing, pulling Iedolas' paling face closer, ignoring how Iedolas was futility scratching at his hands, gasping weakly as Ardyn bared teeth that seemed strangely-sharp despite their human appearance.

Ardyn suddenly tossed the aging man to the ground and cleaned the knife off, staring with impatient eyes as Iedolas slowly bled out on the floor, "I _was_ planning on letting you live a little longer, just enough to finish this pathetic excuse for a peace treaty, but now...I grow tired of your impudence."

" _Wha…. what…."_ The Emperor was gasping, twitching weakly on the floor, his white robes rapidly being stained crimson. Noctis felt his gorge rise, and the only reason he hadn't fled entirely was Carbuncle's steadying weight on his shoulder.

"What? What? _Speak up man_ ," Ardyn taunted, circling the dying man like a vulture, "See? This is why it would not have worked out between us; a simple stab wound and _what_? You're speechless."

Suddenly Ardyn skipped forward, reached out with Scourge-blackened fingers that had shadowy claws extended out, and snagged a wisp of dying red fire from Iedolas' soul.

Completely stunned, Noctis turned and stared at Carbuncle who was perched on his shoulder. The Esper appeared equally shocked.

‹ _How…? ›_

Before either of them could finish the thought, Ardyn had straightened up and was staring at his hand, as the little ember trapped between his blackened fingers was consumed by darkness. Behind him on the floor, Iedolas' red soul was retreating from his limbs, shrinking in towards his chest, until all that remained alive was a spark over his heart, even as the dark puddle of blood around him spread outwards like a morbid reflection.

The Emperor's open eyes glazed over and...the red spark suddenly detached itself from Iedolas' heart.

Noctis watched as the soul drifted out of the emperor's chest and floated in the air, dancing around the room, looking agitated Noctis dodged out of the way as it flew past him, but after a moment, the emperor's soul began to rise up, until it had vanished into the ceiling- Noctis watched it travel up into the sky, before it disappeared into the distance, stunned at witnessing such an intimate aspect to death he had never considered.

Ardyn meanwhile, was grinning sardonically at the flame in his hand that was mostly black and red, but even as Noctis watched, small threads of green were making their way into the ember- and even though the fire stayed small, he could see a shadowy figure forming in the air around it.

Ardyn overturned his palm, and the ember drifted out, down to the ground and within seconds, a copy of the Emperor formed around the spark.

"Oh dear, looks like I got a few minor details wrong…. No matter, no matter." Ardyn mused, examining the puppet's face, which, while greatly resembling Iedolas, the angles of his cheekbones and eyes were not as sharp as the dead man on the floor, looking more rounded, more soft.

"Awaken," Ardyn commanded, and snapped his fingers.

The puppet's eyes snapped open, and it looked up at Ardyn, face blank.

"You are the Emperor of Niflheim. You are at war with Lucis. In five days time, you will attend a Signing Ceremony for a Peace Treaty. I will give you further instructions then. _Until_ then, you will announce that you have come down with a minor illness due to travel fatigue and the stress of the attack on the Oracle, and will be staying in your rooms on your personal Airship to avoid any other _Lucian_ illnesses, or insurgents."

The puppet nodded, stood tall, and walked away, looking like a sleep-walker as it swayed out of the room.

Ardyn glanced down at the dead body and the blood that covered the floor.

A grin slowly made its way across his face, and with another snap of his fingers, iron chains suddenly wound around themselves around the body and constricted, making bones creak ominously and causing black Scourge to ooze out of Iedolas' staring eyes, nose, and mouth from the constriction.

Noctis felt as if he'd been punched in the chest.

 _This is the body Ardyn had hanging in the throne room with the Crystal._

Suddenly, the nausea that had plagued him until his soul had been mended returned with a vengeance, and Noctis could no longer stand the sight of Ardyn the Accursed. The sickly yellow light that blazed like a sun out of the Scourge-blackened eyes had entirely overridden the bright green soul underneath, and even just looking at it made Noctis feel unclean.

 _Please, just tell us where you're going…_

Noctis forced himself to stay in that blood soaked room instead of fleeing; he forced himself to watch as Ardyn summoned four MTs- no, _**not**_ _emptie_ s; they were _Magitek Troops-_ to clean up the blood and take Iedolas' body… _somewhere_.

"You there, with me. Set the Coordinates on my vessel for Galdin Quay." Ardyn finally announced, pointing imperiously at the other two Troops that awaited his orders. He produced a coin from his sleeve which he proceeded to flip in the air as his features gradually melted back into that of a normal human, "I would like to give the Prince of Lucis my little gift in person…"

Ardyn snatched the coin out of the air and lit his hand with fire once more, but this time it was more green than yellow; Ardyn infused it into the coinm. Noctis watched as the lime-green fire that was now attached to the coin flared and pulsed, and realized _wow, so that's how they tracked us the first time around…_

Now that he thought of it, it _was_ pretty stupid of them to keep that coin with them after they found out who Ardyn was, especially when he revealed his colors by stealing the Regalia.

Well, hopefully this time it wouldn't be a problem.

 _Hopefully we can cure Ardyn of the Scourge, and purge all those daemons from his soul… maybe then he can be at peace…_

‹ _Let's go, Noct. ›_ Carbuncle begged, and Noctis was more than happy to agree. Clutching his small friend to him, Noctis reached out with his soul, found the bright, comforting lights of his friends in the distance, and plunged into the stars once more.


	5. Chapter 5

Appearing from the Path, Noctis shook his head out of habit to dry his hair, feeling as though he had just surfaced from deep water, even though he was perfectly dry.

Carbuncle stayed curled up in his arms this time as Noctis used his legs to 'swim' over so he could float next to his body, which his friends had carefully laid onto a thick, clean sleeping bag again.

It was really weird having an out-of-body experience, but even weirder in that he could literally watch his chest up close and see that, _no,_ his body wasn't breathing _at all_. Surveying his friends, who were all close by, he could see them all shooting occasional, concerned glaces at his body as they discussed in more depth the future that he, Luna, and Nyx had traveled from.

Unfortunately for his friends, neither Nyx or Luna were as far from the future as he was, and so did not know all the details. Luna knew quite a bit, some of it surprising to Noctis, who settled in to wait out his Wandering without missing important stuff. If he listened in now, they could save time later without having to repeat everything for him.

"- My Calling." Luna was saying, one hand resting on the bloody patch of dress that marked her healed stab wound as she stared down at his unconscious face, "Was to see Noctis Crowned as the King of Light. I… I tried everything I could, to circumvent his death, I knew what the Astrals were planning, but I could not resist my Calling for long. The only thing I felt could do, to make things right, for my betrayal, would be to die, myself… I decided that Forging the Covenants with the Astrals would be the surest way for Noctis to succeed, and in ...convincing my Calling that would be the way to Noctis' victory, I sealed my own fate. You see, I could not bear to remain long in a world that I had condemned my only friend to death in…"

 _What…?_ Noctis had obviously interrupted a conversation, because he had no clue what Luna was talking about. Well, aside from the obvious, but why did she keep mentioning her calling? From the way she was talking, it seemed important, more important than just a job she did as the Oracle, and he could see her bright green (now tinged with purple, like his own) soul withering every time she spoke of it.

 _She's the one that_ _ **chose**_ _the Covenants? She did all that…because she wanted to die for_ _ **betraying**_ _me? What does that even_ _ **mean**_ _?_

"Wait a minute, why on _eos_ didn't you mention that you were a l'Cie _before_ , Princess?" Nyx said from where he was kneeling next to Noctis' body still, his bedraggled Kingsglaive uniform looking like he had been slowly removing it, as his greaves and bracers were arranged next to him, along with the long, flowing purple ribbon Noctis now recognized as being inspired from their Regal Coeurl forms.

Nyx had turned and was gaping at Luna, before hanging his head into his hands at her mystified look.

" _Oh Mother,_ I am surrounded by heathens." Nyx bemoaned.

"You _are_ aware you are addressing the _literal_ Oracle of the Six, correct?" Ignis queried, looking just as bemused as the rest of Noctis' friends.

"The who of the what now?" Nyx asked, then paused, "No, wait, I think I know who the six are… those are those Eidolons you worship, right?" Nyx began counting on his fingers, "Bahamut, Shiva, uh… Ramuh? Leviathan… oh wow, who's that big guy... _Titan!_ And Vulcan!" Nyx finished, then paused, casting his eyes skyward in concentration. "No, wait, I may or may not be getting Titan and Troll mixed up, considering that big guy's been holding up the Meteor for awhile, and that's gotta hurt."

Luna, especially, was looking at Nyx oddy. "You… you truly did not know I was the Oracle?"

Ignis meanwhile, seemed to have taken offense on the Earth God's behalf: "Did you just call The Earthshaker a _troll?"_

Nyx held up two fingers as he replied to both Ignis and Luna, "I don't even know what an Oracle is, I just thought you were some random princess," He ticked down a finger, "And two, well yeah, It would make more sense for him to be Troll than Titan because holding up the Meteor for this long, taking constant damage like that _without_ regeneration abilities? He'd have Faded by now."

Ignis opened his mouth to speak, stopped, and then just buried his head in his hands. "This is just… too much. Can someone please inform me when the world makes sense again?"

"I'm with Iggy." Gladio harrumphed,crossing his arms, scowling, then uncrossing again as he pounded his fist into his palm. "There's just too much here to process. Somebody just…give me an enemy! Who are we fighting? What are we fighting for? Just tell me that! Not all this… time-travel, heretic mumbo-jumbo stuff about Callings and 'La sea!'"

"We're _fighting_ for the future, and… for those who want to see it." Nyx said solemnly, flexing his burnt fist. Nyx's burns from the Ring stretched from the tips of his fingers, to nearly up the side of his neck; his had already darkened and crystallized fully, with a few burned, crystal veins tracing the side of his face.

"Yeah, that's still _really_ vague and cryptic." Prompto interjected, "I think what the big guy wants to know is who he can punch."

"Yeah, _that_." Gladio agreed, red soul flaring.

"Fine. You can punch that dick Ardyn for me, you know, _before_ we cure him, since Noct is so hellbent on saving him."

" _Who the hell is Ardyn?"_ The sheer exasperation in those five words could have been funny in any other situation.

"The guy that's been possessed by hundreds if not thousands of daemons for thousands of years, and is the one that turned me into a daemon the first time around." Nyx said, pointing at his eyes as he made them flare yellow and black before returning them to normal.

"He's also the one that stabbed me during my Covenant with Leviathan," Luna supplied, looking lost in thought as she stared just past Noctis' body, one hand slowly rubbing at the bloodstain on her dress, picking at the wound beneath idly.

No, wait… she wasn't looking at his body…

 _Luna?_ Noctis asked, wondering if he was right. It would make it so much easier for them to get moving ASAP...

Luna's forehead creased just a bit, but she shook her head again and tuned back into the conversation.

"Why the _hell_ would Noct want to save him then?"

Disappointed that Luna could not hear or see him after all, Noctis settled in for the long haul, listening as Nyx and Luna traded broken information with Ignis, Prompto, and Gladio, the exasperation and incredulousness of his friends and soulmates ( _wow that's a really weird thought still)_ ramping up with every traded question and answer, until Nyx finally took it upon himself to give an 'Abridged History of Eos' to the Crown City citizens, because apparently more than half of the stuff they'd learned in highschool and college history had been flat out wrong or twisted in some way so that Lucis- more specifically, _Insomnia_ \- looked good and everyone else backwards barbarians.

‹ _I always_ did _wonder why we have skulls on everything ,›_ Noctis said to Carbuncle, _‹ And why our national color is black. ›_

‹ _Well, thousands of years ago, after the Great Remembering, your ancestors started to worship my Mother, Etro, the Goddess of Death, for allowing you to remember the fallen. Once people started remembering the dead, they were horrified at how they had given up so many of their young children as soldiers, and were determined to remember their sacrifice. Though the sentiment behind it has been forgotten, tradition and the fashion industry kept the symbology alive. ›_

Nyx was still speaking in the background, a less detailed, more generalized version of what Carbuncle was telling him, speaking of two l'Cie from different Crystals who awoke from their Sublimation, and were the first to _recognize_ the dead. The two l'Cie, free from the Callings of enemy Crystals, banded together and worked to bring peace and justice to the survivors of the ravaged world. Machinations and Remembrance, the two l'Cie, spent the rest of their lives trying to unify the world…

But ultimately failed when survivors of the other nations rejected their unification plans and various factions began to war once more, changing the landscape forever as insurgents from the dominion began to crave the power they were denied when Machinations and Remembrance began to preach for peace and insisted the seized lands of the other nations were returned to their people.

These insurgents pledged themselves to the three remaining crystals, to summon Verboten Eidolons despite their casualties. The sacrifices used by the fanatical factions for the Eidolons became so numerous to compensate for the lack of magic in the sacrifices, that eventually the Eidolons were able to stay permanently and in control of themselves, instead of driven by the will of the l'Cie sacrificed.

The people of the world saw the eidolons as gods of war, and then gods of _all_ , and thousands of devotees began to gather for the sole purpose of bridging the gap between the mortal plane and the realm of the eidolons, that they might have the chance to bring their gods to the mortal plane permanently. Dozens of Eidolons were summoned, different branches of the eidolon Classes being hailed as brother and sister gods.

Ramuh, a Verboten Eidolon, was one of the first to gain the Immaculate title, being the first of Six classes that could enter the mortal plane permanently instead of fading within the hour. He was followed shortly by many Titans, Ifrits, Bahamut's, Shivas, and finally his sister Verboten, Leviathan.

Nyx spoke of how many people forgot about their Mother Goddesses entirely, that people forgot about the gift of remembering death, forgot about the Goddess of the Dawn, who shone a light of hope upon the world when the Great War ended.

That people forgot entirely about the Great Remembering and the peace it brought, and instead worshiped weapons of war and the destruction they wrought with their presence.

Thousands of years passed, and slowly the nations of today rose up from the ashes as the Immaculate Six strove to prevent any further summonings, until the knowledge of breaching the way into the Between Realm was forgotten, and the modern age was born as the line of Lucis was born, even as the Starscourge began to make its first appearance with a meteor- The Meteor- hurling itself from space, and only by the hands of Titan did the world not suffer extinction.

Noctis floated, gobsmacked, as he listened to Nyx and Carbuncle explain the history of the world in a way that his textbooks had never even _mentioned._ Even his history professors had never spoken a single word about the Great Remembering, and any mentions of other Crystals was just in passing, about false rumors created by rival nations, jealous of Lucis' power...

He had learned a lot today, and he could only hope it would serve them well. He had never learned this history of his world the first time, and it dawned on him just how _little_ he had known about the world, even after ten years trapped in the Crystal.

It felt like he was a broken record. _He didn't know enough, he wasn't good enough, he wasn't strong enough._

But he didn't _care._

He would learn more, he would do all he could to help others, he would be all he could to stay strong, strong enough for his friends to rely on, strong enough to save his people and the world.

Strong enough to save a man steeped in two thousand years worth of Plague.

He would do it. He _would_ be strong enough. He _would_ save everyone he possibly could.

Even if it meant defying the Six and their Prophecies to do it.

There was a distant, booming crack of thunder; white lightning in his mind as a word was written onto the back of his eyelids:

 _ **V̷͇͋E̵̛̺Ȑ̶͍B̵̧͂O̷͎̒Ṯ̸̎E̷̝̾N̷̪̽ ̴̢̍Ē̸͓I̵̖̅D̷̘͊O̶̢͝L̷̮͂O̸͎͘N̸̯̿!**_

It sounded like a reminder;

 _ **Verboten Eidolon.**_

It sounded like a _warning._

 _ **VERBOTEN EIDOLON!**_

Noctis shook his head, swaying, as the world around him began to flicker and fog around the edges.

‹ _Oh, you're going to wake up in a moment, ›_ Carbuncle said, jumping out of his arms to float in front of him, as though he had not noticed the voice, ‹ _When you do, can you make sure to keep my body close to either you, Luna, or Nyx? That way when I stop Wandering I can speak to you all right away. Although now that you've done it yourself, you should be able to at least see me with your Sight... but it might take your powers awhile to become that strong. I want to be on hand if anything happens to you. And please, wait at least a day before you try to go after Ardyn, I should be recharged enough by then to wake up and help. Daemons are naturally a part of the Unseen Realm, so they can resist some of our magic, and I do not want any of you facing down Ardyn until I know I can heal you if you are further injured. ›_ Carbuncle said in a rush, tilting his ears back and fluffing up his tail as he pranced anxiously back and forth in the air.

Noctis nodded as the grey fog continued to roll across his vision, _‹ Don't worry, I've only just met up with Luna again, I don't want her or any of my friends anywhere near Ardyn without- ›_

"-All the help we can get" Noctis muttered, blinking his eyes open. _Ow._ Though the reigning nausea from his damaged soul was gone, that apparently didn't mean his physical injuries were healed. Though the bleeding had stopped once more, it still felt like his back and stomach had been torn open, and his burns flared underneath the bandages, _especially_ the exposed side of his face that the sun had hit earlier. He was grateful that Ignis had insisted on covering up his other burns before they ventured out into the light.

"Woah, Hey, Noct, back with us already?" Prompto inquired, sounding surprised, and at his sides, Luna and Nyx- his friends, his _soulmates_ \- were already in motion, shifting next to him, offering him support, helping him to sit up, mindful of his back and stomach. Their dead hands were pleasantly cool compared to the searing touch of his living friends, and he was grateful that, with them so close, it didn't feel like he was going to suffocate from the heat anymore.

"You guys are better than the Regalia's A/C," Noctis laughed, accepting the brief touches as he was leveraged into a better position. Prompto was quick to shove Gladio's massive backpack at him, and Noctis gratefully accepted it to help support his back, willing to stand the pain from his injuries if it meant he wasn't going to be lying down constantly.

That made him feel too small, too helpless and off center. He needed his head in the game, needed to feel in control, if he was going to be able to get through all that was to come. "Yeah, Prompto, I'm up again. How long was I out for?"

Ignis beat Prompto to the punch, checking his watch before Prompto could even open his mouth, "Around three hours." Ignis informed him, and Noctis watched the way Ignis' sharp, _clear_ green eyes were eyeing the way Nyx and Luna sat so close to him, how Noctis did not shy away from them instinctively the way he did others when they were in such proximity. He might have imagined it, but for a second, Noctis thought he saw a flash of... _something_ in his advisor's eyes, but within a second it was gone, and Ignis was back to his usual, mother-hen self. "How are you feeling, Noct?"

The words 'fine' were about to pass his lips, but something stopped him. A sense of exasperation, and disapproval that was not his own.

Noctis leveled a sideways glare at Nyx, who raised his hands in surrender. Luna laughed softly beside him, and Noctis rolled his eyes, before sighing, ignoring the mystified looks his Seen friends were trading at the silent interaction.

"My back and stomach still hurt…. A _lot_ , and the burns are still painful, but it's nothing I can't handle." Noctis said truthfully, "And I found where Ardyn is, or, rather, where he's going."

"How? You've been unconscious this whole time." Gladio said, pacing forward, "Not to mention right before that, you turned into a freakin' _coeurl_ , and were acting all crazy."

Noctis vaguely remembered he had transformed into his - Sacris?- form quite literally in Gladio's arms, and was unbelievably relieved that he hadn't hurt his friend with his suddenly-there claws. He wasn't quite sure how to go back into that form, but knew, from the speed that Luna and Nyx had traveled from Insomnia - _miles upon miles_ \- that it would be extremely useful to master it, if only for the speed and endurance it granted, let alone the fighting capabilities as a _Coeurl,_ one of the deadliest natural predators Eos had to offer.

With the ability to kill prey instantly, it was no wonder they were the Sacred Animals of Etro.

"Well, when Carbuncle Pulled us back in time, it forged a connection between Luna, Nyx and I," Noctis explained, "It activated when they got close to us I guess, and it just kind of took over when I sensed that they were injured. I'm not sure what it looked like to you guys, but our souls kind of reached out to each other and… healed each other from what the Ring and the gods had done to us." He didn't want to mention the soulmates aspect just yet; that was… _beyond_ private. He would tell Luna, and Nyx, when they had a moment, but he didn't want the others to know just yet.

His friends didn't know he was broken; he had only ever shared that with Luna, his first friend.

And though even then she had been a kindred spirit, he couldn't bear to bring himself to tell Ignis and Gladio, when they were so entangled in his royal duties- including the eventual conception of an heir...And they had been _so_ in love with the idea of him marrying Luna, _so_ excited for the wedding, _even after_ the Treaty was no longer on the table…

They had insisted on the wedding continuing, even though they _should_ have known the entire thing was an arranged marriage without either his or Luna's will, only a duty to their kingdoms…

It only hit him then.

Did… did they even _know_ it was an arranged marriage?

"Woah wait, your freaking _souls_ were hurt?" Prompto interrupted his thoughts, and Noctis forced himself back on track.

"Yeah, that's what the Ring and the Covenants do to you." Noctis said, waving his hands dismissively- he was getting distracted _again_. He could only chalk it up to events moving _way_ too fast, and the fact that probably any other person in the world would be currently screaming and bawling in agony from his injuries. He'd developed a high pain tolerance in Zegnautus Keep afterall...

 _Stay. Focused._

"Listen, I know where Ardyn is. Apparently I can spirit walk or whatever after doing lots of soul magic, and Carbuncle showed me how to find Ardyn- he just murdered the Emperor and replaced him with a doppleganger, and now he's heading to Galdin Quay where we would have met for the first time, last time. He's going to give us a souvenir coin that would have tracked our movements. This is our one chance to catch him off guard; we've got to ambush him, and cure him, before he knows what we know." Noctis said, "We've only got five days until the Signing Ceremony- we've got to cure Ardyn before then, and get his help to actually sign the Treaty this time. We need our world at peace if we really want to be able to fight the Scourge."

"But Noctis, surely you know… I was unable to heal the… _Chancellor'_ s... Scourge the first time." Luna suddenly spoke up, placing one decorated hand gently on his uninjured shoulder as she leaned forward, clear blue eyes beseeching him. It was only as she leaned closer that Noctis caught a whiff of sea salt.

She had drowned then, not merely succumbed to her stab wound.

"That's because your healing by itself isn't strong enough. Carbuncle said that Ardyn's strain of the Scourge is particularly strong, because it is so old and is made up of hundreds of individual infections he absorbed. Carbuncle said that we would need the blood of someone who was exposed to the virus as a baby, but did not turn into a daemon. We need the blood of someone who's resistant to the Scourge, but I don't know anyone…"

Wait.

Nyx had raised his hand in front of him, twisting his fingers as he summoned a magenta flame to his hand, the electric-yellow of his soul flaring at the edges with daemonic-gold. "Well, I don't know about exposure as a baby, but I've fought enough of Niflheim's daemons, not to mention I'm now part daemon myself… could you use my blood?"

Ignis shook his head, staring in obvious fasciation at the flame dancing on Nyx's fingertips, "No, I don't believe that would work. Your body appears to have... subjugated the daemonic influence of the disease, but from what Noct is saying, we are looking to purge the Chancellor of the daemonic taint entirely...is that not correct, Noct?"

But Noctis wasn't listening. He was remembering…

Ardyn had said that Magitek Troopers were cloned and injected with the Scourge in infancy as part of the experiments…

Could they use Prompto's blood?

Frustration was pounding in Noctis' head, because this was _another_ thing he didn't want to- _couldn't_ just announce to the entire party.

He needed to get Prompto by himself, so that he could ask him for his blood. He refused to announce to everyone what Prompto was- because that would be a complete and utter violation of Prompto's trust, _especially_ because he's only had a few hours to process the knowledge that he was made to be a soldier.

Before he realized it, he was cradling his head in his hands, fingernails digging into his scalp because _too much_ was happening _too fast_ and he felt really bad for his friends now because he's just dumped this on their laps out of nowhere after a seriously traumatic night and how on earth are they _coping?_

Noct can barely restrain himself from screaming at the sky in frustration, and he knows he hasn't only because he doesn't want to hurt his friends even more.

"Woah, hey there, young King," Nyx says, dismissing the flame in his hand and placing a steadying hand on Noct's other shoulder, "Easy, you're not alone in this. How can we help?"

There's an aborted movement in the background, Gladio shifting his stance, as though wanting to move forward but catching himself, and Noctis can imagine him clenching his teeth as someone else played his role.

Noctis took a deep, cleansing breath, ignoring how it was out of habit instead of necessity. He could process and worry about that later. Now he just needs to collect his thoughts and shove them into some semblance of order, and he needs a plan. "I…. I need to talk to you two, and then Prompto. In private. Before we do anything else. We also need transportation to Galdin Quay, as soon as possible." He said, forcing his fingers to unclench from his hair, and looking up at the group. "Doesn't have to be the Regalia." He tacked on at the end, knowing Cindy had taken awhile to fix it the first time.

There was a beat of silence, before Ignis, ever practical, spoke up, "I believe that would be in the best interest of traveling as well. Before, we were only planning on five passengers, tops. Now we have six, including some serious injuries…. I believe a rental is definitely an option. We shall have to… ask _Cid_ for a loan." Ignis' voice was laced with doubt and reluctance.

Noctis grimaced at the thought; Cid had always been extremely gruff and disapproving, and Noctis had been shocked at his appalling _rudeness_ when they first met. Which, in this timeline, happened only yesterday. "That's going to be tough, Cid doesn't like us very much...yet."

Ignis was nodding along, "Yes, I believe you are correct… Noct, I'm sorry to say but you might have to put in an appearance to convince him of our urgency."

Noctis sighed and nodded in agreement. Cid was an old bastard, but seeing "Reggie's" son so incredibly injured would undoubtedly change his disposition in a heartbeat.

"Gladio, will you accompany me to the garage? Noctis, will you and the others stay here, on the Haven, while we're gone? If we _are_ able to convince him to loan us a car, we shall drive out here to pick you up, instead of you all having to make the hike through the rough terrain." Ignis said, already going through the motions of snagging one of the smaller packs along with his wallet, empty of usable funds though it was.

Gladio took a moment, looking over Noctis, Nyx, and Luna, taking in their horrific injuries with reluctance. He was obviously loathe to leave them unguarded, but had to concede Ignis' point that they would be safe on the blessed grounds from any roaming sabretusks or other predators. Noctis' Shield let out a big, gusting sigh, and nodded in reluctant agreement. "Fine. But your asses better still be on this Haven when we get back," He said, jabbing a finger in their direction as he joined Ignis at the tent's flap.

Ignis was halfway out the entrance before he suddenly did this weird spinning around motion. "Noct, are we able to summon our weapons? We have not had the chance, and I wouldn't like to put you under any more stress from the magic, but nor do we want to be waylaid by any marauding creatures on our way in."

Noctis blinked at the unexpected question, and was glad that Ignis had thought to ask. "Uh…I'm not sure?" Frowning, he cocked his head to the side as he searched out his magical armory. Holding out his good arm, he pulled on one of the daggers he had enchanted the last time around, slightly surprised he had access to it- he had only gotten his hands on it the last time around after pulling the twin daggers out of the back of a scarred and old Behemoth King, who was still kicking even with multiple weapons embedded in his ancient hide.

In a flash of blue crystals, one of the twin _Voltaic_ daggers appeared in his hand, sending sparks of yellow flame up his arm at the contact, visible only to his dead eye. Raising his eyebrows, Noctis grinned as he felt his connection to the thunder magic buzzing in the back of his head grow stronger, before startling a bit as both Luna and Nyx twitched beside him; glancing from side to side, he saw that their own soul-flames were now tinged yellow (barely noticeable with Nyx's already yellow flame, which now had extra sparks floating around the edges), even though he was the only one wielding the enchanted dagger.

 _Okay. Wow. We're seriously going to take advantage of this._

Dismissing the dagger, Noctis watched as the yellow faded from Luna's and his own flame. "Okay, that's cool. And sure Specs, you and Gladio can summon your weapons, I didn't even feel anything from drawing on them, other than a thunder magic boost."

Looking slightly dubious, Ignis and Gladio nonetheless summoned their weapons and left the tent. Gladio was practically marching, back ramrod-straight like Cor himself was watching.

Noctis could only assume they were doubting his word, keeping their weapons on hand instead of summing as they needed them, so they didn't tire him out.

"Uh, so, Noct, did you want me to just… step out for a bit…?" Prompto's voice cut across his thoughts once more, and Noctis turned to look at him, observing how he looked a little nervous, and how his golden flame was dancing erratically at the edges. "I think Iggy had some leftovers from last night stored away, you guys are probably as hungry as the rest of us, I could reheat it if you want."

The reminder of food causes Noctis' stomach to growl, and it's an odd thought that he's hungry already. The first time around, they had all gotten used to meals being spread apart, rationed. His current body is apparently still running on three steady meals per day from the capital.

"Sure, Prompto, that'd be great. This won't take too long, I hope." Noctis agrees, and watches as Prompto dithers a bit before making a break for the entrance.

The tent seems stifling _loud_ after Prompto leaves, even if Nyx is the only one actually breathing.

"So…" Noctis said, nerves making his hands tremble. Six, this was so _awkward_. "According to Carbuncle the three of us...uh… we're soulmates?" It comes out sounding more like a question, and Noctis wanted to bury his head in his hands again in sheer embarrassment and shame, but the hands still on his shoulders make him acutely aware of Luna and Nyx's presence.

There's a few moments of silence, before Nyx shifted slightly. "So... what exactly does that mean?"

"Well, uh, Carbuncle said that whatever we did when we were in our Sacris forms- our Coeurl forms- healed most of the damage to our souls from the Ring and the Six and the Summoning, and they kinda… fused? When I summoned that dagger just now, did you guys feel closer to… lightning? Electricity?"

Nyx was nodding already, but Luna appeared slightly confused, "Is that what that sensation was? I'm afraid I've never really experienced black magic before, my family has only ever used white magic, healing and protective."

Noctis nodded, unclasping his hands and threading them through his hair as he spoke, "Yeah, it looks like when one of us is using something to enhance our abilities, it will effect all of us, which could be really useful. Last time around, people were already using naturally-occurring effects from different creatures and resources to make accessories, but I discovered I can also enchant weapons and enhance accessories to be even better with my magic." Noctis began counting off on his fingers, "Using different… shades of magic and different raw materials, I could make items that make your wounds heal faster over time, make it easier to use elemental magic, made your skin harder to break, etcetera. Even good-luck charms, like Phoenix downs, I could enchant to literally bring someone who was dying back from the brink, but you had to use it before their heart actually stopped…"

A shudder wracked its way through Noctis' body when he remembered all too well the many occasions that he and his friends had had to use the miraculous item... and the one time they couldn't. The wounds in his back and stomach seemed to burn at the memory, but he couldn't bring himself to regret the pain.

That was how he had gotten here, after all.

 _He wouldn't have the chance to save everyone now, if he had saved himself then._

"We can also feel each others emotions," Luna said, her pale hands curling around Noctis's own, "I can feel it now, as I did earlier. You mustn't dwell on such sorrow, but look around at the new world we are in. We are together, and nothing shall keep us apart. We are going to save the world, and its people, _together_." Luna's voice was earnest, and when he could bring himself to look into her eyes, they were blazing, determination and hope visible in every line of her face, so different from the Luna he had glimpsed so long ago in Altissia.

There was a flinching sensation, guilt.

Noctis' head snapped around to look at Nyx, to see the older man was staunchly looking away from him and Luna, the older Glaive's expression shuttered. "Nyx, what's wrong?"

Nyx's shoulders were perfect, military-straight as he stared intently at the other side of the tent. Finally, he spoke: "All my life, I've been a foreigner, an intruder. And then this happens. How could the goddess make the three of us soulmates, if I am only here to be the outsider, again?"

"Nyx, what are you talking about?" Luna questioned, sharing a look with Noctis.

"You two are _engaged_ , you've known each other your whole lives, and here I am…" Nyx barked out a bitter laugh, "Barging in and ruining it for you guys. This is worse than being the third wheel…I don't want to get between you guys, or cause strife in your marriage...especially because I'm older than you both..."

It was Noctis who turned to stare at Luna this time, and the misunderstanding that Nyx had made was clear. It was Noctis who burst into snorting laughter first; Luna quickly followed once she realized what was so funny.

"Oh, Nyx, _Nyx,_ you are confused!" Luna managed between laughter that was edging towards hysterical, "Noctis and I are _not_ in love, and our marriage is arranged! There is no love or lust for you to intrude on, only friendship, and you are already one of my greatest friends, from this life and the last."

Nyx was looking flabbergasted, even as Noctis and Luna's hysterical laughter was affecting him too through the bond. "But… I thought… the whole _Kingdom_ thinks…"

Noctis shook his head, fighting through the guffaws to speak, "The entire Kingdom is under the impression that we're star-crossed lovers finally reuniting in a beautiful wedding to commemorate peace. They don't realize our wedding is a _condition_ of the peace." Noctis said,

"We've been separated for over a decade, but we were each other's first true friends, and we have stayed that way. All I ever wanted to do was to save Luna from a prison I thought was my own fault, and now we are together, and there's nothing to stop us. We are not in love Nyx, and if it's fine with you, I would like to stay that way. Neither Luna or I are keen on…er, _sex_ or stuff like that." Noctis' laughter had subsided towards the end, turning sombre and serious.

Understanding was dawning in Nyx's eyes. "Oh," He said, "That makes this a bit easier. So, just to clarify… you two aren't going to start flirting with me anytime soon are you? Because that would be _reallly_ awkward…"

"Nope!" Noctis said, at the same time Luna proclaimed "Surely not!"

Nyx sighed in relief, and Noctis felt the feeling travel through their bond, relaxing his shoulders and easing his anxiety. Okay, one problem solved.

Now for Prompto…

"Hey, Luna, could you ask Prompto to come in here again for me? I think Gladio will have my hide if I try walking again so soon…" Noctis said, and Luna quickly agreed with the sentiment, poking her head out of the tent's flap to call for Prompto, one hand lightly holding onto her side where her own mostly-healed injury was.

Noctis frowned as he considered her torn, blood-stained (formerly white) dress, before looking down at his own clothing; they were going to need new outfits, and soon, especially if they wanted to travel. He didn't think he could stand to be in this disgusting, blood-stained shirt and pants for another day.

"Nyx, could you pass me my bag there?" Noctis asked, "I want to see if I've got any clean clothes in there. I'm not sure of your size, but I can probably find something to fit Luna…"

Nyx obliged, and passed along the smallest pack. Noctis spent a few seconds rummaging through it, before giving up and dumping it's contents onto the floor of the tent. Ten or so bundles bounces out, and Noctis snagged two at random, unfolding the clothing that Gladio had expertly wrapped up in socks.

Shoving the soiled bedding to one side, Noctis arranged the clean clothing on the floor of the tent, unrolling two of his plainest pairs of black pants and shirts. Holding one of the larger shirts up, Noctis considered Nyx, before offering him the shirt with a shrug. "Want to try that on, see if it fits? It'll be less conspicuous than your Glaive armour."

Nyx raised an eyebrow when he saw the brand name embroidered on the seam of the sleeves. "Fit for a Crown Prince, eh? Fine by me."

Nyx began unbuckling the last of his armour, but must have sensed Noctis' unease with his undressing, because he sent him a look before saying, "Don't worry, Highness, I'll take this outside."

Noctis smiled at not having to ask the uncomfortable request, and nodded gratefully at Nyx as he left the tent squinting against the sun and holding the opening aloft for Prompto as he nervously pranced inside, followed by Luna, who was smiling reassuringly at him, holding his hand.

"Prompto, you trust Luna, right?" Noctis asked as his friend nervously settled himself on the floor across from him, anxiously rubbing at his right arm.

"Of course I trust Lady Lunafreya!" Prompto agreed quickly, shooting her a star-struck smile, "What's this about?"

"Well, you know how I said we need the blood of someone who is immune to the Scourge, for Luna and I to cure Ardyn? Well, I think…. I think we can use your blood for the spell." Noctis ventured, passing Luna the clean clothing as he spoke, trying to seem casual as he spoke, so Prompto wouldn't be spooked.

Prompto spluttered nonetheless. "Wait, what do you mean my blood? How could I be immune? I've never even seen a daemon outside of movies!"

Noctis shook his head, shuffling forward until he could hold Prompto's hand, the opposite of the one Luna still had clasped, "It's because of where you were born, Prompto. Niflheim was experimenting with the Scourge, they started injecting it into the babies they cloned, to infect them during their later experiments. But you were rescued before they got past the initial… treatments. You were injected with the Scourge, but it was a single dose and it was in a small enough amount that your body was able to fight it off, especially with the better living conditions in Insomnia."

Prompto just sat there and stared at Noctis, who watched as Prompto's face and flame flickered through a million emotions.

Seconds passed, and right as Noctis was wondering what on Eos he could say to make Prompto feel better, Luna leaned in and put her other arm around Prompto's shoulder.

Releasing Prompto's hand, she instead place her palm on his cheek and guided his chin until he was looking into her eyes. "Prompto Argentum," She said, "You have nothing to fear nor feel shame of. No one chooses how or where they are born, and your friends accept you and love you for who _you_ are. Let this revelation be not a curse, but a blessing. With your assistance, we will be able to help a great many people." Luna whispered, her hands glowing with soft golden light, accented with the green of her soul as her magic wove around Prompto, sinking into his skin and making his lip tremble at the comforting words.

Breathing out a shaky sigh, Prompto nodded, squeezing Noctis' hand tightly as he looked from Luna to Noctis and back again. "Okay. I'll do it. What do we need to do, exactly?"

Noctis glanced over at Carbuncle's unconscious form, watching how the small white body was eerily still, not stirring with the breath of life. He wondered how long it would take Carbuncle to wake up.

"All Carbuncle said is that we would need to use your blood, and combine it with Luna's healing magic. I guess we could try to make a potion or something, and either make Ardyn drink it or pour it on him?" Noctis said, wondering how on earth they would accomplish that. As far as he knew, they didn't have any special equipment to draw blood from Prompto, which meant that they would have to… _cut_ Prompto and collect his blood that way.

The thought of breakfast suddenly didn't appeal anymore.

Nyx came back in then, and he was balancing containers of food whose smell made Noctis' stomach flip in time with his thoughts. It was odd seeing Nyx in such casual clothes- Noctis had only ever caught glimpses of him when he was in his full Kingsglaive uniform.

"C'mon, food's not gonna eat itself, and you two need to get your strength up." Nyx said, distributing the containers to the others and pressing one into Noctis' reluctant hands. "Eat." Nyx commanded again.

Noctis sighed and jabbed the provided fork at the food, unwilling to actually eat anything. Nyx plopped down to the floor and sat cross-legged next to Noctis, jabbing at the air with his elbow in Noctis' direction but not actually connecting with the wounds hidden underneath Noctis' ruined shirt. He was just doing it for emphasis.

"I'm not hungry." Noctis said, stabbing at a bit of potato that was mixed in with the eggs and now-shredded toast. "Prompto, we'll have to wait for the others to get back. Iggy's good with all the medical stuff, he might have an idea of how to use your blood and Luna's magic better than I can."

Prompto nodded, obviously trying to put on a brave face as he dug into his meal.

"You should at least _try_ to eat, Majesty. One of the first things you learn, growing up outside the Wall? Never refuse food, you don't know where your next meal is coming from, and you have to conserve your strength." Nyx said, and Noctis scowled at the form of address.

"Hey, my Dad's still alive in this timeline and besides, you should be calling me 'Noctis', all things considered." Noctis said, and then shoved a forkful of soggy toast and eggs into his mouth, just because he knew Nyx wasn't going to stop pestering otherwise.

Prompto was glancing back and forth between Luna, Noctis, and Nyx, analyzing their interactions, looking intrigued. Noctis shoved his bowl towards Prompto with practiced ease, and Prompto began to pick the potatoes out and deposit them into his own bowl, swapping them out for bits of egg.

"How long do you believe it will be before Ignis and Gladiolus return?" Luna questioned, addressing the group at large, watching the casual food exchange between Noctis and Prompto with amused eyes. She'd known since childhood how much Noctis hated vegetables.

Noctis shrugged, "I guess it mostly depends on if they run the whole way there, and how cooperative Cid is. He used to be best friends with my dad, but they had a fight some time before I was born, and never really made up… he does come around in the future, though, and I'm pretty sure once he, or rather, Cindy, hears that I've been seriously injured, they'll probably rush over here."

"Uh, what exactly are we going to tell them, anyways? Are you going to tell them the truth? 'Cause if not, bro, you're going to want to cover up that eye again." Prompto suddenly said, gesturing at Noctis' face with a bit of toast.

"Wait, what's wrong with my eye? I mean, other than being able to see all this weird soul-flame-y stuff?"Noctis asked, reflexively poking the skin around his dead eye and then feeling like an absolute idiot when pain blossomed there, his fingers agitating the crystallizing burns that dominated that side of his face.

With a sharp hiss, he flinched back and groaned out "Ow. That was stupid of me."

"Yeah, _kinda_." Nyx said, shaking his head in a sharp motion, and Noctis saw with no small amount of horror that apparently both Luna and Nyx had felt that flare of pain. At the very least, it seemed like they were only affected when the pain was first registered, not the entire time, because otherwise he's pretty sure neither of them would be able to stand.

"You're going to have to tell us what on _eos_ soul-flamies are, because you haven't mentioned that yet but dude, your eye is literally _glowing freaking pink._ " Prompto said, holding up his phone and presenting the dead screen to Noctis.

Grabbing the phone out of his friend's hands, Noctis hit the power button out of habit, but the screen remained blank, and he vaguely recalled Ignis saying all of their electronics had died when he got Pulled back. Angling the phone away from the glare of sunlight coming in through the entrance, he used the screen itself as a mirror instead.

It's a good thing he didn't have to breathe.

It was one thing to _know_ the damage…

It's another thing entirely to _see_ it.

The lighting in the tent was pretty good, and he could see his face as clear as day in the reflection on the expensive screen.

The entire right side of his face was criss-crossed with silver or dark brown scars that branched out in segments across the bridge of his nose and lip towards the mostly-unblemished left side, one of the 'sparks' nearly reaching his good eye, which looked it's normal blue. The scars were mottled and rough around the edges, and he could still see some very faint lines of fire glowing beneath the skin still.

It was his right eye, his dead eye, that was truly shocking, even with Prompto's words.

The white parts of his eye, his sclera, had darkened to grey, and his iris was a bright, glowing magenta, with rings of darker lavender around his pupil, which was odd and distorted, like the light was coming from _inside_ his eye.

When his eyes finally unglued themselves from the scars and the glowing, they caught on another detail that was out of place; bits of grey and white now streaked through his hair, starting at the roots and fading to dull black at the tips, turning his once raven-dark hair into salt and pepper.

He looked like an old man.

It's a good thing he didn't have to breathe.

Otherwise he'd be hyperventilating right now.

It took him too long to notice that his hands were shaking, and by the time he realized it the phone had already dropped from his numb fingers, clattering to the floor.

It took him too long to notice that the bond between him, Luna, and Nyx was roaring in the back of his head with their concern, and that arms were wrapped around his shoulders once more from both sides, and Prompto was leaning in, speaking rapidly, looking on the verge of tears once more, but Noctis couldn't hear the words past the memories, the memories of his father withering before his eyes as the Ring and the Wall sapped him of his life force, as images of a man in his forties was aged as though he were in his seventies, as sleek black hair turned grey, then white, in the span of a few years.

He looked like his father.

He looked like the Ring was killing him again.

"Say something!" Prompto begged, his words finally breaking through the roaring in his ears.

"I look like Dad," Noctis finally choked out, "My hair…" He became aware that he had been pulling on his hair with a vice-like grip again, and when he glanced down at his fist, he saw strands of black and white.

He had pulled his own hair out.

"Oh gods," Noctis whispered, limbs trembling uncontrollably as tears burned down his face, "I can't handle this again…"

He had caught a single, nightmarish glimpse of himself in the water, after escaping the Crystal.

He had studiously avoided any reflective surface for the next few days it took them to reach the Citadel for him to die. He couldn't bear to see his face again after ten years were stolen from him by the gods.

The face he had glimpsed had been alien, a stranger, something so disturbing in how little of himself he saw in it.

And now it was worse, because he _did_ recognize his own face, it was just… _marred_.

 _Disfigured._

He had already had so many scars littering his body.

The long, ugly gash that carved up his back, the twisted flesh on the back of his calf… and now his arm and face, which could not be so easily hidden behind casual clothing. These scars would be on a constant display, to anyone, _everyone_ who so much as looked at him.

And his eye. His _eye_ that was glowing vibrant and unnatural colors. It would draw attention even faster than the scars, and would make sure people kept their gaze locked on his own in confusion instead of hastily looking away to avoid staring at his disfigurement.

He was _ruined_.

"Hey, hey, Noct, look at me, c'mon, look at me, okay? Listen, I know what you're thinking, but it's not _true,_ okay? What you look like doesn't matter, okay? It doesn't matter! It's what's inside that counts. Scars might not be pretty, yeah, but they say that you're a survivor. Scars tell a story, and they say that you _survived_. You're here, you're alive, and we're going to make sure no one else has to go through what you did. We're going to make sure that no one else has to die needlessly. We're here to give the people of this world a brighter future, one that doesn't end in darkness. And we'll all probably have new scars by the end of it. But it won't matter, because we're all going to do our damndest to survive, right?" Nyx's voice, full of authority, broke into his thoughts, and all he could see in front of him was a mass of bright yellow fire.

Nyx was crouching in front of him, hands gripping his shoulders gently, his burning blue eyes alight from within. When Noctis caught his eyes, Nyx took one of his hands using his own burned one and guided it to the side of his own face, where Nyx's own burns were steadily darkening from white crystal to sunken, browned scar tissue.

"If it makes you feel better, we match." Nyx said, and Noctis let his eyes wander to the hand Nyx was using to hold his own, and saw that both of their arms were nothing more than molten silver and dark brown, nothing recognizable about the original flesh between the scars that flowed like fire up from the tips of their fingers to their necks and faces.

Just as their souls were perfect matches, their scars seemed to mirror each other as well.

Both of them had died putting on that damned Ring to save the lives of others.

But Nyx wasn't giving up.

 _Nyx_ wasn't wallowing in self-pity.

 _I won't let myself, either._ Noctis thought, with some effort. "What doesn't kill me makes me stronger?" He asked, snorting out a weak laugh through the tears, then hastily wiping his nose on his shirt sleeve for lack of a handkerchief.

"Exactly." Nyx said, and Noctis found himself leaning into Luna's shoulder, actually enjoying the contact as Prompto crowded in for _another_ group hug. Well, it wasn't really a hug, per say, more like everyone was cuddling in close, and Noctis didn't feel trapped as he would have if everyone had their arms around him.

It actually felt… nice.

Before he knew it, Noctis found himself nodding off, his head lolling onto Luna's shoulder as sleepiness started to overcome him. Luna and Nyx didn't look much better, and somewhere in his drowsy mind, Noctis wondered if it was his own sudden exhaustion affecting them or if the sleepless, stressful night was finally catching up to them.

Noctis had just closed his eyes, intending to rest them for only a second, when he was jerking awake an instant later, the loud roar of an engine echoing over the plains. Nyx and Luna jolted awake as well, and Noctis had to struggle for his brain to catch up.

"Oh hey, they're back! _And_ they've got a car! Oh! And Cindy's there too!" Prompto said excitedly, jumping up from where he had been toying with his camera, apparently putting a new battery in it from the camera case he had obsessively packed.

Prompto hurried to open the entrance wider, "Ooh, I wonder if Cindy- oh _ew_. Cid's here too."

Prompto's tone of voice, that had started out excited, quickly turned sour, and Noctis was once more reminded that Cid's behavior on their first meeting had been nothing less than… extremely rude.

First impressions took some time to wear away, and his friends had never gotten the chance to get to know Cindy's grandfather better just yet.

Noctis might not _hate_ the guy, and he could hold an amicable conversation with him, but never _could_ forget that Cid had deliberately overcharged them for their first (or, current) repairs, costing them every single Denarii they had, instead of simply informing them that Gil was the only currency accepted outside of Insomnia.

If he had done that, they could have at least returned to the outskirts of Insomnia to do an exchange- but no, instead, he overcharged ridiculously, in a currency _he couldn't even use_.

And, as Noctis had to keep reminding himself, that only happened _yesterday_.

There was the sound of slamming car doors, and then Cid's distinctive, rough voice barking out, "So where's this Prince of yours, Scientia? I only sent y'all out to take care of some weak varmints, and you're telling me the Prince managed ta' get himself hurt fighting some mangy _sabertusks?_ "

"As I have already informed you, _Master_ Cid, it was not Sabretusks that caused His Highness' injuries." Noctis glanced in the direction of the voices at the sound of Ignis' formal-sounding tones, strained with aggravation, though anyone that did not know Ignis well wouldn't have been able to tell.

He spotted the now-familiar ivy and cerise colors of Ignis and Gladio, now followed by two yellow lights, whose colors were subtly different shades from Prompto's golden and Nyx's topaz.

A soft, jasmine-color that was shuffling next to Ignis' ivy green appeared to be Cid, while a brighter, sepia tone that was walking slightly ahead seemed to be Cindy. Gladio's cerise red was trailing behind, probably trying to keep his aggravation out of sight.

"Well, accordin' ta' Dave, y'all fellers hadn't even left to go take care of that odd Dualhorn yet, and there ain't nothin' in the area other than Dualhorn and Sabertusks. All them Anaks and Bulettes don't show their faces this close to Insomnia. Ya'll're not pulling the wool over _my_ eyes. I ain't givin' ya'll no discount for fakin' wounds or nothin'!"

"Aw, Pawpaw, don't be like that, y'all know these fellers have been helpin' us out, and they've been nothin' but friendly. They didn't _have_ to lend us a hand, but they did, and we're in their debt. Dave says they saved his life, showin' up when they did. If'in Ignis says the Prince is hurt, then I want to help."

"Seriously Cid, you know my Dad. Do you really think he'd raise me to pull some stupid prank like that? We Amicitias have honor, you know." Gladio's deep voice said, a hint of annoyance and frustration creeping into his tone.

"Bah. Ol' Clarus didn' even bat an eye when ol' Reggie pulled back the Wall without a lick of help fer' the rest of us. Any honor he had left him that day. I _knew_ him, but not any more." Cid grumbled, and Prompto and Noctis shared a look of surprise.

Noctis had never gotten the details of Cid's argument with his father, and Noctis had just… kinda assumed it was something that _Cid_ had done. His cantankerous personality spoke for itself. But from the sound of it… Cid had been angry at his father for leaving the people of Leide unprotected? For protecting only Insomnia?

A chill crept up Noctis' spine, and he suddenly remembered those odd words that had echoed in his mind, in a voice like thunder.

 _But… what do Verboten Eidolons have to do with Insomnia?_

His musings were interrupted by the scuffing of rock, Cid muttering a curse, Gladio's angry growling, and finally, by Prompto eagerly holding the tent entrance open for Cindy, who ducked into the tent, a large, beat-up looking first-aid kit clutched in her hands. Cindy blinked, squinting as her eyes adjusted to the darkness, then she reared back, a shocked look overtaking her features.

"Oh! Prince, what _happened_ to y'all? Oh, gosh, your _face…_ " Cindy's eyes traveled around the tent, her eyes only widening further as she spotted Nyx, whose face was just as badly burned, and then her eyes landed on Luna, and Cindy's entire countenance seemed to radiate her shock and awe. "L-Lady Lunafreya?"

Luna did not appear surprised at being recognized, instead she smiled gently and offered her hand to Cindy, who took it like it was a precious thing. "Hello, Cindy, is it? You have my sincerest thanks for arriving here so quickly to our aid."

Cindy's mouth was moving, opening and closing like a stunned fish, a bright red blush riding high on her cheeks. "U-Uh, y-yeah, Cindy, that's me." Cindy was staring unabashedly at Luna, some strange mixture of mortification and horror visible in the way her sephia fire was flaring wildly within her chest. "M-My Lady? If you're here, then… wouldn't you be able to heal the Prince and his friend yerself?"

Luna smiled a sad, watery smile, and said "If only I could, I would gladly. But the will of the gods prevents me; I cannot use my magic on either of them or myself without doing more harm, I believe we shall have to rely on the plainer ways to heal our injuries."

"What're you saying? Your magic won't work? But you're the Oracle! You can heal the Scourge!" Cindy was obviously in shock, and it was only then that she saw the crimson stain that had dried into Luna's tattered dress at the waist. Cindy's hands flew to her mouth in shock. "My-My Lady! You're bleedin'!"

"Was," Luna corrected gently, "I was saved by a Messenger of the goddess. The only ill that ails me now is a lingering pain, and an unsightly dress." A small snort of amusement passed Luna's lips at this remark, and Noctis tried to withhold his own amusement as he watched Cindy trying to process everything.

"But, then why did y'all call for help, ifin you're already as healed as you're gonna get?" Cindy finally asked, right as Cid finally made his grand entrance, tossing aside the tent flaps with disgruntled grumblings.

"Mostly we just need access to a car, and a phone. We found out some important stuff we have to tell my dad, but we have to get to Galdin Quay before we go back to Insomnia." Noctis said, breaking Cindy's attention away from Luna, and attracting Cid's attention as the older man struggled to see in the dimly-lit tent.

" _What in tarnation?"_

Cid forced his way none-too-gently past his granddaughter and peered down at Noctis' face, and then Nyx's. His face slowly became a mottled red, anger sparking in his eyes as he saw the little tattoos that subtly decorated Nyx's face. "Yer one of Reggie's Glaive, ain't cha?" He demanded, "One of them boys out from Ghalad?"

"Yes sir, I've served since the Kingsglaive's inception." Nyx's shoulders were squaring up, and Noctis knew he was bracing himself for some kind of explosion on Cid's part, for accusations of theft or responsibility to be level against him.

Well, they were right on _one_ part.

"OF ALL THE IRRESPONSIBLE THINGS HE COULD'A DONE!" Cid exploded, whirling around and shaking his fist at the sky as he began to pace the length of the tent, "AND HE'S GIVIN' HIS SON AND HIS GUARD THAT BLASTED, GODS-FORSAKEN RING TO USE? WHEN HE _KNOWS_ IT DOES THAT KIND'A DAMAGE TO THOSE NOT MEANT TO WEAR IT?"

Noctis just stared, mouth agape, at Cid as he continued to pace around the tent, ranting about how irresponsible his dad was, to give Noctis the Ring, or to even let him and Nyx 'and the rest of them ghaladian kids' draw upon the Ring's magic through his dad when the Crystal itself should have been enough magic to be used for protection.

Pretty much everyone was staring at Cid now, Cindy included, and from the look on her face, she was as shocked at her grandfather's violent reaction as the rest of them.

"So… you're not blaming us…?" Noctis finally asked, mystified. He'd never really seen anyone get mad at his father, and this was an odd experience. Especially since 'his' Cid had been nothing but nostalgic… possibly because by the time Noctis had ever heard Cid talk about his father, Regis had been dead and gone, without Cid even having the chance to reconcile or even speak with him after years of separation.

"'Blamin' ya'? Bah! I thought it was maybe just you, but no, ifin one of you sensible ghaladian boys is even using the Ring's magic, then it's Reggie that's _not teachin'_ the lesson, not ya _not learnin'_ it." Cid grumbled, and Noctis honestly wasn't sure whether to be insulted or not.

"So, you'll let us borrow a car then?" Prompto interjected hopefully, shooting frantic looks at Ignis and Gladio, who were silently fuming behind Cid's back. Gladio's jaw clicked shut at the reminder that they had to play nice… for now.

Cid narrowed his eyes as he stroked his beard, obviously considering everything. "After what ya'll did to the Regalia, I don't know that I trust ya with one of my _own_ cars… if ya'll can do that to a state of the art, custom classic, I'd hate ta see what ya'll would do to our clunkers out here outside the Wall..."

Nocis blinked, and realized that Cid had a good point. Even with the Regalia being an "older" car, it had still been updated and enhanced over the years, with the newest technology and safety features built into the original; it was updated yearly with whatever new specs had been developed to make it faster, safer, and more comfortable for the King himself to drive.

And they had nearly- _totalled_ it no less than five times that Noctis could remember.

What hope did they have of driving one of the absolutely _ancient,_ constantly-breaking down cars that populated Lucis outside of the ultra-wealthy city of Insomnia?

"Cindy, yer gonna drive these cityfolk to Galdin, in the Big One." Cid finally ordered, "The rig ain't gonna hold more'n five at a squeeze, an' I don't want them screwin' with any of our payin' customers' cars."

Cindy, who only had eyes for Luna, snapped out of her daze, and whirled around to gape at Cid. "Wait! But who's gonna fix up the Regalia while I'm gone?!" She fretted, wringing her hands.

Cid waved her off with a scoff, "I'd been fixin' that car since Reggie _bought_ it, whadaya take me fer, a mascot? Hammerhead's _my_ company, an' I didn't build it from the ground up by _not_ knowin' how to fix cars."

Cindy was properly chastised, but Noctis could see her disappointment. He wished he could make it up to her; he'd remember how much she loved tinkering with the Crown City tech…

Maybe he could bring her with them to Insomnia, when it was all over, let her see how advanced everything was in person…

Or, maybe he could do one better…

When the Scourge was destroyed, and the Empire an ally…

What was stopping them from bringing down the Wall?

What would stop them from bringing the technological and medical advancements of Insomnia to all of the Kingdom?

To all the of _Eos?_


	6. Chapter 6

The trip back to Hammerhead was a crowded, uncomfortable one.

Cid had brought a regular, old, beat-up truck to pick them up in, and there was not nearly enough room for them to all sit in the front; Noctis's fresh burns still bothered him greatly in the hot sunlight, so he (and Nyx, once Noctis realized the glaive had been hiding a sensitivity to sunlight since his daemonification) were piled in the front of the truck with Cid, shielded from the sun by a thick, suffocating blanket, an unconscious Carbuncle cradled in Noct's lap.

Cid had thrown a big fuss when he saw that Noct fully intended to bring Carbuncle with them, the older mechanic thinking he was just a dead animal, but the second Noctis had mentioned Carbuncle's name, and that no, he wasn't _actually_ dead (although Noct wasn't sure if that was _technically_ true), Cid had gotten real quiet and speculative, looking over the Esper's form in a new light.

Noctis wasn't sure if Cid recognized the significance of just what exactly Carbuncle _was_ , or if he just knew the same vague stories Noct had been told by his father.

After Luna and Noctis (with some help from Prompto) took turns in the privacy of the tent to change into clean clothes, Noctis had happily tossed his blood-stained garments into the Haven's blue, purifying fire. Even if Ignis _could_ have _maybe_ gotten all the blood and grime out, Noct didn't think he could stomach the thought of ever wearing that particular pair of pajamas ever again.

It was very odd seeing Luna in something other than white- currently, she was clad in one of the many pairs of simple black pants and t-shirts that he had packed so long ago. The particular top she was wearing was black but for a tiny sprinkle of faint stars cascading down the shoulders, falling towards a barely-visible, grinning skull on the bottom right hem.

Upon seeing her dressed so, and that she and Nyx were pretty much in matching outfits, Prompto had begged for a photo of her and Nyx, and the two had delighted him in obliging- as long as they got to pose with Noct.

A sudden wave of amusement reached his soul, interrupting his thoughts, right before a delicate laugh reached his ears- Luna was piled in the back along with Cindy, Iggy, Gladio, and Prompto, who was telling muffled jokes to try and impress the two women.

Noct and Nyx both snorted quietly in shared mirth- simultaneously- then shared a glance, before abruptly bursting into laughter at the ridiculousness of their situation, feeling Luna joining in at the same time.

" _I must be a better comedian than I thought."_ Noctis faintly heard Prompto say- or was he hearing it through _Luna's_ ears?

Like his dead eye healing, the soul bond between him, Luna, and Nyx seemed to only be growing stronger with time.

Now, even when he had an _obnoxious and irritating_ makeshift eye patch covering his eye, he could still _see_ the lights… even if the feel of fabric so close to his eye was distracting.

Now, even when they weren't in direct physical contact, he could feel a vague itch on his stomach and in his lungs, just on the peripheral of his consciousness, only flaring into small jolts of pain whenever Luna moved too quickly. Nyx's wounds were too similar in placement to his own to really cause him any discomfort, but he felt horrible for Luna, who had to feel both his _and_ Nyx's burns- it was why he had not complained about having to hide under a blanket in the truck; he would _never_ willingly make her or Nyx feel any of his own pain, let alone make them feel worse.

"Y'all're odd, even fer city folk, ya know?" Cid's voice grumbled from the driver's seat after Luna, Noct, and Nyx had finally stifled their laughter, mindful of the flares of pain that echoed through their bond from Luna's water-damaged lungs.

"You don't know the half of it." Noct chuckled, stroking Carbuncle's fur, watching as the silver skin of his hand started the last stages of its darkening. He could only hope that the scars would fade even more with time…

He wondered how much he should tell Cid, or if he even _should_. To be honest, he personally didn't like him all that much, even after Cid had "softened" towards them all. He also wasn't sure how the old mechanic would react to the announcement- would he believe him? Would he scoff, call him insane, or even worse- would he believe him, and be _ashamed?_

Would he hear of the ten years of darkness, and blame Noctis?

Nyx quirked an eyebrow at him, and Noctis nodded, forcing himself to set the negative thought aside. They would cross that bridge when they came to it.

A particularly harsh bump in the road elicited a gasp from Noct as his stomach and back wounds were jostled. Regret and guilt ate away at him as he heard Luna's accompanying gasp of pain in the back, while Nyx merely stiffened next to him, wincing silently.

" _Lady Lunafreya! Are you okay?"_ Cindy exclaimed from the back, and Noctis saw Cid's soft jasmine-yellow light twisting as he presumably looked over his shoulder in concern.

" _I am as fine as I can be; please, do not concern yourself, it is not my own pain."_ Luna replied, and Noctis felt a ghost of a hand on his shoulder lifting; he did not want to risk twisting around to see, but he could only guess Cindy or one of the others had placed their hand on Luna's shoulder in comfort.

Their soul bond was _definitely_ getting stronger the more time went on… he could only hope his injuries would heal quickly so that he could avoid causing Luna and Nyx anymore undue pain.

He would have to be… _exceedingly_ careful when they met Ardyn in battle.

If this car trip would _ever_ end.

A habitual sigh worked itself from his throat, and Noctis let his eyes drift shut as he futily tried fanning himself with his hand- ever since being Pulled back as an undead, Noctis had made some concerning discoveries about his new anatomic functions- the obvious lack of a heartbeat, not _needing_ to breathe except for speaking or habit, and right now, the part that made him feel like he was slowly dying of heatstroke: he couldn't regulate his body temperature anymore.

Leide was a barren, blazing-hot wasteland on a good, 'back when he was still alive' day… being stuck in a hot car with no A/C, with the sun blazing down on them and he couldn't even sweat to cool himself down? Surrounded by his Seen friends, whose body temperatures were at actual _living-being temperatures_ , and felt like mini suns? He felt like he was _melting._

He really, really really hoped Takka's diner had air conditioning.

He hadn't been there in ten years so he honestly could not for the life of him remember the particulars.

"Woo! Finally!" Prompto called out, slightly awkwardly from the back. He could only imagine the tension the others were under, being yet unaware of the soulbond, or in Cindy's case, not knowing about the time travel and not being able to speak freely.

"We're here." Cid agreed, slightly less grumbling than Noctis would have expected- he could only guess having an obviously-injured _Oracle_ in the back of his truck was quelling the mechanic's usual ire.

The truck rocked as the others hopped out of the back, and within moments, the bright lights of his friends were circling around to the passenger side, and with an ominous creak, the door was forced open, with much tugging and swearing when the ancient handle refused to budge the first few times.

...Noct was feeling more and more better about having Cindy drive them by the minute.

"C'mon, c'mon, we haven' got all day!" Cid said, forcing his driver's side door open and then slamming it shut with an audible crack. Noctis could see Cid's light veritably stomping towards the others as the mechanic crossed around the front of the car.

Yeah. He was really glad it was going to be _Cindy_ driving them.

Still hidden from the sun under the blanket, Noctis cradled Carbuncle to his chest with one hand and eagerly followed Nyx as they slowly maneuvered themselves out of the car practically blind-suddenly, Nyx stumbled as he was stepping out of the car, the Glaive's knee buckling under him as a flare of sharp, fiery pain lanced through their bond.

Instinct alone had Noctis lunging across the seat, trying to stop Nyx from falling; he managed to grab hold of the sleeve of Nyx's borrowed shirt with his free hand, but then the pain of his sudden, jarring movement reached his awareness and he regretted it _instantly._

Outside the car, Luna's sudden scream shattered the air and Nyx crumpled to the ground, a hoarse shout leaving the glaive's lips as Noctis' pain reached the both of them at the same time. Nyx falling had dislodged the blanket, which was ripped off of Noctis as he fell onto the musty, torn seat of the truck, narrowly avoiding squishing Carbuncle under his weight as agony tore up and down his spine.

Screams and shouts were echoing all around the gas station parking lot, but all Noctis could focus on was pushing his pain to the back of his mind, trying to hold as still as possible so he could _stop hurting Luna and Nyx already!_

Screwing his eyes shut against the harsh glare of the sun, Noctis felt his skin crawling with pinpricks of pain that were gradually building, the longer Nyx was uncovered by the blanket and the longer his burns were exposed to the hot air. Clenching his jaw so he wouldn't bite his lip (or scream), Noctis could have cried with relief when someone (he was pretty sure it was Ignis, judging by the shade of ivy green) hastily tossed the blanket over Nyx, blocking the sun from the daemonized man where he was cringing on the ground, hunched over his stomach.

The momentary reprieve from the sun must have been enough for Nyx to gather his wits, because the man immediately reached out to Luna, pulled her under the blanket with him, and with the two of them on their feet, they lurched towards him, crowding in the car door until all three of them were huddled under the blanket, clutching each others hands, pale as death. Outside, the freaking-out forms of Noctis' friends was lighting up the exterior of the car in a dazzle of blinding lights as random citizens and Hunters crowded around the car, worried over the screams.

‹ _...Noct?...›_ A very quiet and confused voice whispered, barely audible underneath the cacophony Cid and the others were making-Cid sounding almost as freaked out as the random bystanders, while Ignis was trying in vain to act as though nothing was amiss and shooing bystanders away with little effect.

"Carbuncle!" Noctis gasped, turning his head with difficulty to see that the tiny esper was stirring, ears twitching and rotating as Carbuncle rejoined the land of the living.

‹ _Noct! There you are! ›_ Carbuncle chirped happily, hopping to his little feet and then looking around in confusion when he noticed they were under a blanket. ‹ _Noct, what did you do? ›_ The exasperation in Carbuncle's tone was clear, ‹ _I told you to be careful with your injuries! ›_ The little fox scolded, nuzzling against Noctis' face, then turning and displaying the same easy affection to Nyx and Luna, who were staring at Carbuncle with wide eyes from faces still etched with Noctis' pain.

‹ _At least you're all three together, that will make this a bit easier! ›_ Carbuncle chirped, wiggling around excitedly, before becoming more serious as he looked at each of them, ‹ _Okay, I know only Noct, and maybe Luna have experience with this, but I need the three of you to reach out to each other with your souls; try to do what you did when you were reunited. It's hard to describe, but since you_ are _all three soul mates, I should be able to heal all of you at once. ›_

Noctis nodded shifting a tiny bit where he was lying awkwardly on the upholstery, "Let me see if I can, and I guess i'll… try to show you guys how?"

Nyx nodded, but Luna raised one delicate hand, wariness echoing from her as she spoke: "Before we begin, I believe it would be better to heal the three of us in a less… crowded area? Somewhere with more room to work?" She asked, indicating the car with a wince, as well as the shouting crowd that still surrounded them.

Oh.

Yeah.

"Good idea," Noctis agreed, letting go of Luna's hand so she, being the 'least' injured out of the three of them, could disentangle herself from the blanket and duck out from underneath. Carbuncle nuzzled Noctis' cheek again as he watched her go, an odd sense of abandonment ghosting through his mind as she left his sight, but he did his best to shrug the sensation away.

"Thank you everyone, for your concern," Luna's voice rang out, loud and clear, "But please, may we have some space? My comrades are injured, and we must have room to carry them into a safe space where they can receive medical attention."

"Ya'll can use the back room o' my diner, ma'am, if it's to your likin'. The local Hunters use it as a med room, I've got it set up in case o' emergencies."

"Splendid! Gladiolus, could you carry… _Nox_ for me? Prompto, Ignis, could you assist Nyx?"

A round on confirmations from his friends preceded the slow, careful shifting of the blanket, and as Nyx was lead away, arms tossed over Iggy and Prompto's shoulders, Gladio leaned in, draped his jacket over Noctis, and carefully scooped him and Carbuncle up. Noctis winced at the light and adjusted the jacket with one hand, cradling Carbuncle to him as Gladio carefully straightened up, leaving his face and arms hidden in shade, his clothing doing the rest to cover his legs.

Even as Gladio was carefully carrying him towards wherever they had taken Nyx, Noctis could feel his bond to Luna stretching, anxiety beginning to creep upon him the further away they got...

"Thank you, everyone, for your help. If anyone here has any spare supplies, such as medicines we would be grateful. The injuries are not too severe, merely painful; we just made a bit of a wrong move, lost our footing and aggravated the wounds. Cid, could you go ahead with the others; Cindy, you follow me, and Mr…?"

"Takka, Miss. My name's Takka."

"Mr. Takka, you have my gratitude, for allowing us to use your lodgings. Do you get many injuries here, outside of the kingdom's wall?"

The sound of footsteps behind him signalled that Luna, Cindy, and Takka were leaving the soothed crowd behind, and Noctis marveled at Luna's ability to take command of a crowd with such authority and precision. Glancing over his shoulder as Gladio ascended some short steps, he peered past Gladio's cerise light to see Luna's purple-jade following behind, surrounded by Cindy's sepia, and…

White?

A sea of white lights? Plain, and colorless?

He was about to ask Carbuncle why all of these people weren't as colorful as everyone he knew, but then a wave of the most heavenly-cold air he'd ever felt rolled over him, accompanied by the blessed sound of old air conditioners chugging away, and he was distracted from his thoughts as the heat of the sun was left behind.

He sighed in relief, relaxing a bit more as the cold seeped into his skin, chilling him and bringing him new energy. He did feel a bit bad for Gladio though, who was already shivering from his contact with Noctis.

He really wanted to peek around the jacket, to see Takka's diner again without the windows boarded, the surviving counters strewn with weapons, without having to see tables flipped into makeshift barricades…

But he had waited ten years; he could wait a bit longer.

He could feel himself getting closer and closer to Nyx, and he focused his eyes on Nyx's purple-gold light, surrounded by the now-familiar colors of Prompto, Ignis, and Cid. Finally, after a minute that seemed to last an eternity, he was within arm's reach of Nyx, and the sound of a door shutting gently behind them was enough motivation for Noct to shove the jacket from overtop his head so he could see the room with his living eye.

The room was surprisingly clean and organized, albeit small. Chairs and two raised, folding cots were arranged in the corners of the room, with Nyx perched on one of the beds, surrounded by a pale Ignis and Prompto, faces tight with worry; Cid was leaning against a counter on the opposite side, clenching his fists tightly on the edge of the counter as he glared a hole in the floor.

"Noct!" Prompto called in relief, "You okay? What happened out there, buddy? Mr tight-lips over here doesn't want to tell us," Prompto said, jerkin his thumb at Nyx with a pout; Nyx just rolled his eyes and sighed.

"Hey, I told you it's…. Well, not ' _nothing'_ , but it is… private." Nyx said, shooting a glance at Noctis. "Hey, _Nox_ , you good now?" Nyx asked Noctis, bopping Prompto on the shoulder with a significant look in the blonde's direction.

Noct sniggered as he saw Prompto blanch when he realized he'd forgotten to use Noctis' hastily-concocted pseudonym, but Noct didn't mind; he trusted Takka, even if the blind restaurant owner didn't know them just yet.

"Yeah, I'm good for now, sorry about that; I was trying to catch you…" Noctis said, trailing off in embarrassment. Faking a cough and clearing his throat, Noctis gestured at Carbuncle with his free hand as Gladio set him down on the cot across from Nyx. "But hey, Carbuncle here says he should be able to heal us the rest of the way."

"Oh thank heavens," Ignis breathed, covering his face with his hands; Noctis' advisor whispered something Noct was not meant to hear, and he felt guilt welling up in his heart as Nyx heard Ignis' heartfelt whisper of _I could not bear this much longer_.

Cringing at the pain he was causing his friends, Noctis gently deposited Carbuncle beside him and reached out silently to Luna and Nyx; his bondmates quickly converged on him, Nyx hopping off his own cot, waving off Ignis and Prompto's concern.

"We've got to be close together for this to work," Noctis explained, seeing Gladio's mutinous expression as Nyx sat beside him on the cot, between Noctis and Gladio. A sense of smugness and slight anger from Nyx's side of the bond told Noctis that this was not a coincidence, but he didn't really have any privacy to ask him what was up with him and Gladio. He would have to deal with it later.

"So, what all're ya'll gonna do?" Cindy asked curiously, "I thought Lady- uh... Lady… _Lulu_ said she couldn't heal ya'll?"

"Please," Takka suddenly interrupted, fidgeting nervously with his hands as he tilted his head back and forth as though scanning the room, something that Noctis recognized from Ignis after Altissia; "There's no need ta' be using fake names or nothin', I'd heard the Lady Lunafreya enough on the radio ta' recognize her voice, an' I heard yer acceptance speech on the radio for the treaty last week, Prince Noctis."

Huh. Noctis _did_ vaguely recall having to make a short acceptance speech about the treaty, as well as announce his impending marriage to the Oracle, but he didn't realize that it had been broadcast this far out past the Wall.

"Well, traveling incognito didn't last long." Prompto chimed in, smiling nervously.

"No worries," Noct said, smiling at Takka even though the restaurateur couldn't see it, "I trust you, Takka."

"Oh, er, uh, thanks, though I'm not sure why ya'll think I deserve it…" Takka mumbled, his demure personality making itself known again as he backed towards the door, "Did ya'll want me ta' leave so you's can work yer fancy royal magic, or…?"

Noctis almost said he didn't mind Takka staying, but then he caught sight of Gladio's thunderous expression, and thought better of it. No need to stress his friends out anymore than they already were.

"That actually would be a big help, we really are trying to travel under the radar, and the less people knowing the specifics, the better." Nyx said, sensing Noctis' reluctance.

Takka nodded one of his quick, jerky movements, and with practiced ease, let himself out of the room, neatly side-stepping past the countertops and bolted-down bar stools as he made his way back to the kitchen area, only visible until Gladio veritably slammed the door, flipping the lock as he did so.

"Can we get on with the magical healing already?" Gladio demanded, sending a glare at Carbuncle, whose ears quivered, but the esper did not make a verbal response at the hostility.

Looking sadly at Noctis, Carbuncle titled his head, ears drooping, and Noctis realized Carbuncle didn't like causing his friends pain anymore than he did.

"Yeah, sure." Noctis said, making sure he was holding hands with Luna and Nyx, before looking at them both, "Okay guys, I know you heard some of what Carbuncle said before, but I'm not sure if you've ever done it? Here, uh try to feel this…"

Concentrating, since it was harder in his physical form, Noctis slowly pushed the purple-blue flames of his soul outside of his physical form, inch by inch, until it just barely brushed against Nyx and Luna's shoulders; the two of them jumped slightly at the feeling, and he saw recognition light up Luna's face. "Oh! This feels… similar to how I performed the Covenants…" The recognition in her emotions turned to worry.

‹ _Don't worry, Luna! This is_ nothing _like forging a Covenant! When you forged a Covenant, you were reaching out with your soul, and having pieces… torn… from you as the price ›_ Carbuncle informed them, cringing as he spoke the last few words, his large ears going flat against his skull as he glanced sideways at Gladio, ‹ _Actually Summoning an Eidolon from Beyond would be even worse.›_

Noctis glanced at his Shield, and saw that Gladio was still glaring at the wall over their heads, his cerise-red soul flaring brightly with his obvious rage and frustration at the situation.

 _Instead, today, you're going to reach out for each other, just like you did when you reunited. Once you are all three connected fully again, I can heal you- it will not bring you back to life, you will still be Unseen until we can figure that part out, but you will no longer be so grievously injured._

"Fine by me," Nyx said, "It'd be real nice if I didn't have a bullet hole in my knee forever."

"A _WHAT?"_ Ignis exclaimed, then paused, and buried his face in his hands again. "Never mind, never mind, just... continue, _please._ "

Noctis saw Prompto shooting Ignis a commiserating look, before Noctis took Ignis' plea and continued pushing his soul out until it was brushing Luna and Nyx's sides again, having retreated back to his core when he lost his concentration.

The next few minutes passed in relative silence, as Luna and Nyx slowly copied his technique; it was tiring, and more than once he lost his grasp on his magic and had to push it out again, but he found by the fifth time, he could hold out longer, and it was easier to push out.

By the time Luna successfully melded her magic with his, he could hold a half-decent conversation without losing his hold, and by the time Nyx joined his soul with theirs, Noctis found he barely had to make any special effort, though the entire session was wearing him down, and the artificial chill in the air that he had welcomed on arrival, now had him wishing he could shiver for warmth.

"You guys ready?" Noctis asked aloud, for the benefit of his Seen friends who wouldn't be able to hear his thoughts.

Luna and Nyx nodded, and around the room, Prompto, Gladio, Ignis, Cindy, and Cid all backed up to give them space. Carbuncle did a happy prance in place before skittering back a few steps as his little black eyes surveyed the soul magic that had blossomed around the trio.

 _Okay, you three! You got it perfect! Ready? Steady? Here we go!_

Carbuncle back up, the purple fire of his soul growing in intensity-

He leapt into the air, the purple fire blasting out of him like a mini nova-

And right before the healing energy washed over Noctis, he caught a glimpse of Gladio's cerise soul, perfectly matched with the flicker of flame burning at Carbuncle's core.

Then the wave of magic hit him, and the world was awash in purple fire.

The fire coated his skin, sank into his bones, filled his lungs, and all he could see was that deathly hue-

But the fire was cleansing, it was cool, refreshing, even as it burned its way through his wounds, retracing the charred paths the Ring's silver fire had left. He could feel the last of his wounds closing, strengthening, and even his old, old knee would had suddenly lost its stiffness. His awareness of Luna and Nyx had also grown three-fold; he could hear their wonder and relief as if it were his own, he could feel his own hand clutching theirs,he could feel the raging elemental magic that burned in Nyx's core, contained by his will but vicious in its hunger for combat. He could feel the brilliant green of Luna's magic, shining like a star in her core, and the green tendrils like living vines that nestled under her skin, ready and waiting to reach out and share the breath of life at her command.

Then the moment was over; he opened his eyes, and he could see perfectly from his living eye, even better than before. His dead eye was still dead, but now he could see the flames of everyone's souls as he'd never seen: before they had been mere flames, now they shone like stars, beating and flaring in small novas in time with their owner's hearts and emotions. The area beyond their little enclosed room was awash in a sea of stars, all the ordinary citizens milling about outside, their lights all that oddly blank white.

"Well?" Cid suddenly barked, "Are ya'll healed or what? I don't wan't ya'll gettin' blood in any more o' my cars." Cid's words were gruff, but from the aura around him spoke the truth: he was filled with genuine concern.

 _You should be fully healed now!_ Carbuncle chirped, _I managed to get your old injuries too. You should be good as new!_

Noctis smiled at Carbuncles words and was, touched by the affection he could see in Cid, past the man's outwards exterior. "You don't have to worry, Cid, _I have literally never felt better!_ " Laughing, Noct launched himself off of the cot and did a little jig on the spot, kicking out with his formerly bad knee and delighting in the lack of discomfort. It had been so long since he'd been free of pain, and it was _exhilarating._

"My knee doesn't even hurt!" Noctis called over to Ignis and Gladio, who were watching him with mutual, skeptical expressions bordering on alarm at his antics. Grinning broadly, Noct scooped Carbuncle up into his arms and spun around, listening to Carbuncle's happy chirps and squeaks as the esper nuzzled him under his chin.

"Mine neither," Nyx said, chuckling. He too hopped off of the cot, gave a stretch, and then offered a hand to Luna and pulled her to her feet. Luna was practically glowing with her restored health, and as she breathed deeply with her undamaged lungs, Noctis could feel a sense of peace and joy emanating from her- he knew it had been too long, far longer than him, since she had not suffered from the price of her Covenants or her Calling.

"So, now that ya'll are okay, didn't you say ya'll needed to call Reggie?" Cid ventured, crossing his arms over his chest as Prompto cheered and rushed forward to join in the celebration; Carbuncle chirped a greeting and leapt off of Noctis' shoulder onto Prompto's; the blonde was startled, but quickly started stroking Carbuncle's fur, laughing in delight when Carbuncle began to purr and squeak in joy.

‹ _Oh yeah, this one's a keeper! ›_ Carbuncle called over to Noct, practically vibrating in happiness as Prompto worked at the itchy spots and loose fur from the esper's coat.

"Yeah, I do," Noctis said, knowing he would have to warn his father about the planned invasion of Insomnia, "Does Takka have a landline? I need to call my dad-"

The words were barely out of his mouth before a wave of vertigo washed over him, along with an _very_ familiar ache in his head.

Thunder boomed in the distance, and-

‹ _**VERBOTEN EIDOLON! ›**_ roared through his mind.

As quick as it came, it was gone, and Noct was glad he had been leaning over to look at Carbuncle, because it let him disguise his stumble as a little skip. Nyx and Luna both snapped around to stare at him at the same time, looks of alarm on their faces.

"I'm guessing you guys heard that, too?" Noct asked, rubbing at the uninjured side of his head.

"That was the voice of the Fulgurian!" Luna exclaimed, reflexively clasping her hands in a prayer, before flinching and shaking her hands out frantically. Through their bond Noctis felt a ghost of a noose around his neck, but knew from Luna's relieved emotions it was a memory, not reality. "But why is the Stormbringer speaking to you?"

Somewhere in the background, Noctis heard the others talking, trying to ask him questions, but he could only focus on solving this mystery- none of the other gods had ever tried to contact him, until Luna had already completed her Covenants, and then it was only for him to complete their Trials. What was going on?

"I'm not sure, I think I heard him before, but I wasn't sure if I imagined it…" Noctis said to Luna and Nyx, furrowing his brow in confusion. "I heard him before, when I was thinking of warning Dad about the invasion-"

‹ _**VERBOTEN! ›**_ Echoed in his head, sounding much weaker than before, and Noctis flinched reflexively, but even the pressure in his head had lessened until it wasn't even painful.

"Oo-kay, but what the heck does that even mean?" Noctis demanded, "Why does Ramuh keep warning me about a Verboten Eidolon? Isn't that what _he_ is? Or, like, Leviathan?"

"Well, they're two of the known Verboten Eidolons, there's also Alexander, and…" Nyx trailed off, a feeling of horror washing over him, "The Knights of the Round."

Phantom swords flashed before Noctis' eyes and a full-body shudder worked its way through him, the image of his father's Eidolon form seeming to float before him again, sword poised…

"Oh my gods." Noctis gasped.

He met Nyx's gaze, and knew that the glaive had come to the same realization.

"The Olde Kings…they all became Knights of the Round." Noctis whispered, seeing again that dastardly Ring, sitting so innocently in his palm, "They had their souls stolen and corrupted by the Ring. And they needed me to summon them. But if they're a Verboten Eidolon, where would they get all of their sacrifices?"

"The people of Insomnia." Luna realized, her voice hushed. "Regis… he never wanted me or you there for the Signing Ceremony. He recalled all the Kingsglaive from the borders, his best magic users, and instead deployed them in the palace…"

"He knows." Noctis said, feeling cold and hollow. "He knew, and he let it happen. He's going to let Insomnia burn to summon the Verboten Eidolons."


End file.
